Destiny
by Warrior Angel 24
Summary: Sequel to Forever You...I highly recommend you read that first, cause here comes trouble
1. Chapter 1

Part 1

At the magic box Xander was sitting on the bottom stair leaning on his knees while Giles was standing at the counter with Buffy sitting on Faith's lap at the table. They were watching a frantic redhead pacing back and forth and gesticulating nervously

"We have to do something" Willow said shaking her head "we can't just sit here and do nothing"

"Willow…there isn't much we can do until we find out what's wrong" Giles said trying to calm down the witch

"Yeah, Will…we've already searched every book, but it's hard to find anything when we have no idea what we're looking for" Xander tried to reasoned her

"Yes Will…we need help" Buffy said

"Help from whom?" the moment the words left Willow's lips, a glowing white light spun around her and exploded in small fragments, revealing a white-robed handsome blond man.

"What the hell!" Willow exclaimed startled by the appearance that had made the gang jump to their feet

"Don't be afraid" he spoke softly "I wish you no harm" the five people in the room stared at the tall figure standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed behind his back and his head slightly bowed

"Who are you?" Giles inquired lifting a suspicious eyebrow

"My name's Klaus…I'm a keeper" he informed keeping the low tone of voice

"Keeper of what?" Buffy asked warily

"Of the light" he answered and the gang exchanged worried glances

"What can we do for you…Klaus?" Xander asked

"I came to help you" he informed simply

"Help us?" Faith joined the conversation

"Yes" he nodded at her "you'll need help if you wish to destroy this great evil"

"What do you know about it?" Giles was curious about the visitor

"I know everything that has to be known" he replied cryptically

"And what's in it for you?" Buffy asked still not believing him entirely

"I beg your pardon?" he sounded confused

"What do you take from helping us?" she clarified "or is it your job to come and assist people in need?" she crossed her arms in front of her chest

"No Buffy…that's not my job" he answered watching her surprise when he spoke her name "but by helping you, I'll be helping us"

"Who's us?" Xander questioned him

"The Guardians" he opened his arms as if presenting himself "our job is to protect the light and keep the balance between good and evil…right now this balance is broken and evil is taking advantage of it" his face turned serious as he spoke full of concern "it is using this opportunity to stream out some powerful energy straight into Tara's heart" he looked directly at Willow who was breathing heavily "it's contaminating her body and destroying her soul…it must be stopped" he concluded sternly

"Okay, let's start from the beginning" Willow nodded slowly "why is the balance broken? And what does it have to do with Tara?" she asked slowly and in a very serious tone. He sighed and broke her gaze

"I think we should sit down…it's going to be a long story"

**Three months earlier**

Willow came home from work and entered the Summers' house to watch a chaotic scene before her eyes. Xander was lying unconscious on the couch having Faith underneath him; Anya was shaking him hard and Buffy came from the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand

Willow walked over to Tara who was sat calmly at the table with a giggling Ariel on her lap

"Hi honey" she kissed both of her girls "what's going on in here?"

"Anya's water just broke" Tara answered amused by the comic display

"Oh my Goddess" Willow's eyes bulged "why isn't she on the way to the hospital?"

"Because Xander just passed out" she answered and giggled along with her daughter

"They are trying to wake him up" Ariel informed enjoying the situation

"I can't believe that" Anya lifted her arms exasperatedly "I'm about to expel a watermelon from my vagina and he faints like a girl" she sighed and snatched the glass of water from Buffy's hand

"Wake up sleeping beauty and take me to the hospital so I can get rid of this dreadful belly" she then threw the water mercilessly at her husband's face. He jumped startled and coughed

"Help…I'm drowning" he shook his arms funnily making Ariel double over with laugh

"Ah, Xan…are you ok?" Willow asked chuckling "do you want me to drive?"

"I think that's an excellent idea" he answered looking at his giggling friends

"Oh my god she's so cute" Tara said cradling the little infant in her arms and showing her to Ariel who was in Willow's arms

"Yes she is" Xander agreed puffing his chest proudly "and most importantly…she's 100 human" he smiled gladly

"Congratulations…have you guys chosen a name yet?" Faith asked watching the baby from over Buffy's shoulder

"Her name's Joan" Anya informed the gang and held her husband hand in hers

"Nice to meet you Joan" Willow smiled and nodded in the baby's direction

"Yeah…welcome to our big dysfunctional family" Buffy said and everybody stared at the newly born child


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

The first rays of the sun entered through the window and brought Willow out of a very peaceful sleep. She stretched like a cat and released a loud yawn making the blonde at her side stir; she smiled and turned to watch her love. Not being able to resist, she moved closer and planted some butterfly kisses along her jaw line, Tara's mouth curved forming an irresistible smile; Willow climbed on the top of her and claimed those sweet lips on hers

"Hum…somebody awoke with some fire today?" Tara asked hoarsely and cocked her head to the side giving her girlfriend full access

"Can you blame me?" the redhead started sucking Tara's pulse point "I have the most delicious woman lying almost naked next to me" she punctuate every word with a kiss "and she makes all those wonderful noises when I plant kisses on the right spots…" she said alternating kisses and bites on the blonde's neck and shoulders "and she drives me insane when she digs her nails on my back and…" both women were highly aroused and Willow started kissing her way down Tara's body lifting her silk gown and spreading her legs open with her knees. Tara's breathing was elaborated and she released a throaty moan when she felt Willow's tongue against her naked belly, she threaded her fingers into her girlfriend's red hair, guiding her lover to where her body was craving her presence

"Oh baby" her moaning was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Willow stopped her ministration and locked eyes with Tara; for a second they have completely forgotten about their daily wake up call provided by a living alarm clock; sighing Willow asked loudly

"Who is it?" she smiled watching Tara roll her eyes

"It's me mommy…can I come in?" they heard their daughter's little voice

"In a minute sweetie" Willow answered and lifted her body over Tara's "we'll finish this later" she kissed her girlfriend passionately and rolled over to open the door while Tara straightened her clothes

"Morning baby girl" Willow greeted her dashing daughter that ran past her and jumped on the bed

"Morning mommy" she threw herself at Tara and kissed her "morning mama"

"Good morning angel" Tara sat on the bed leaning against the board and hugged her daughter "did you have a good night sleep?"

"I don't know…" she said seriously

"What's wrong honey?" Willow asked joining them on the bed

"I had a strange dream" the witches exchanged glances

"What was the dream about baby?" Tara questioned smoothing her daughter's blonde locks

"I don't know…I only saw dark"

"Come here baby girl…I'm sure it was just a bad dream" Tara said cradling her baby in her arms "right Will?"

"Absolutely" Willow smiled at her two favorite girls "I'll tell you what…why don't we go downstairs and I'll cook us breakfast, huh?" she offered cheerfully, but the blondes exchanges knowing looks and didn't answer her

"What?" she asked suspiciously

"Uh…sweetie, don't get me wrong but…" Tara began tentatively

"But what?"

"But your cooking sucks" Ariel finished coldly

"Ariel…" Tara reprimanded her daughter "don't hurt mommy's feelings" she snickered and winked at the little girl

"Oh, I see…you two teamed up against me, huh?" Willow narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. The blondes started giggling at the offended witch

"Oh yeah? So be prepared for the redhead's revenge…" she put a frightening voice and jumped at the blondes initiating a tickling war

"Oh my God Anya…I can't believe how fast she's growing" the gang was all together in the living room having Joan as their center of attention

"She's so adorable…does she keep you up all night?" Willow asked while playing peek-a-boo with the small child

"not so much… she cries, I feed her, she gets back to sleep" Anya shrugged nonchalantly "I think she takes after Xander…the only two things on their minds are eating and sleeping"

"yeah…that's my girl" Xander smiled proudly making his friends laugh at his good nature; the phone rang and Faith got up from her spot to answer it

"Hello"

"_Hey Hope"_ Dawn greeted her teasingly

"Teen! How's school? Met any psycho yet?"

"_Nope, but I got an A+ on my last essay about personality disorder"_

"Oh really? Self-portrait?" she teased the youngest Summers

"_Nah, I used you as a model"_

"Wow, I hope you didn't forget to mention how I make your sister come and come and come every night"

"_Asshole"_ Faith let out a triumphant laugh and shouted

"Hey B, it's Dawn…she wants to talk to you" the blond slayer got up, took the phone from the brunette and moved to the other room to talk to her sister

"So, is Buffy and Jason getting along any better?" Xander questioned the dark slayer

"Ah…let me see…last night she wanted to hire a Lei-ach demon so he could suck his marrow out" Faith answered cynically

"Too drastic…" Tara said entering the room "she could use a Hemlock killing spell" she offered with a malicious smile

"Tara" Willow used a disapproving tone

"I'm sorry…I…I don't know where that came from" she smiled sheepishly and kneeled next to the baby missing the worried looks on her friends faces


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

Buffy and Faith were out patrolling. Buffy was talking a blue streak and Faith didn't seem to be listening at all to her girlfriend's babbling; it didn't take long for the blonde slayer to realize that

"…and then I told him to come and fuck me senseless" she snickered when she saw Faith's head jerk up

"What?"

"Ha…glad you decided to join the conversation" Buffy replied cynically

"Sorry, B" she sighed deeply "I was just thinking about something"

"Care to share?"

"It's probably nothing" Faith shook her head trying to dismiss her thoughts but Buffy knew something was bugging her girlfriend and decided to pry. She stopped walking and turned to look at the brunette; she waited until Faith looked at her eyes

"Talk to me, baby" releasing another sigh she asked

"Have you noticed anything weird about Tara lately?" she asked

"Tara? No, why?" Buffy furrowed her brows

"Well…it's just…" she stopped talking and lifted her head looking past Buffy; Buffy did the same and looked past Faith's back

"Two behind you" she informed the brunette

"Three behind you" Faith smirked at her

"Let's dance" moving forward they met their respective group of vampires. Faith punched one and kicked another; a third one came and grabbed her from behind, she snapped her head back and hit him in the face, he stepped backwards and she kneed him in the gut; she moved back to the first vamp, raised the stake and jammed it into his chest; she moved to second and repeated the process. Buffy fought two vamps at the same time; she did a high side kick to the first vampire's jaw, grabbed onto his shirt and neck and threw him to the ground. The second vamp whirled around and tried to kick her, but she easily ducked it. She punched him in the gut and then again in the face sending him to the ground as well, she then used a stake to dust both of them. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a dark figure approaching from her left, with pure reflex she turned, grabbed his arm and flipped him over onto the ground, she was about to strike him but froze in middle action

"Spike?"

"Hello pumpkin" he said smirking at her

"What are you doing here?" she asked stepping away from him

"Well…it's nice to see you too" he said while standing up and cleaning some dirty from his clothes. Buffy eyed him suspiciously but didn't say anything, he then started to move towards her "actually, it's really nice to see you" he walked around her ogling at her body "you're more beautiful than ever…your hair grew longer, your curves are…"

"Very well treated by the person who sleeps with her" Faith said narrowing her eyes at him and dusting the last vamp without even turning when he tried to attack her from behind; she then jerked the stake out and moved closer to the blond vampire

"Who happens to be a vampire slayer holding a…spike" she lifted the piece of wood threateningly at him.

"Okay, I got the message" He put his hands up in a surrender manner and stepped away from Buffy "I didn't come here looking for trouble"

"Then why are you here?" Buffy asked in an annoyed tone

"Something bad is coming" he answered seriously

At the magic box, the gang were together listening to what spike had to say

"Okay…and why do we believe him?" Xander asked suspiciously

"Because we've learned that scum always floats to the surface" Buffy lifted her eyebrows mockingly at him

"So do you have any idea of what this big bad is?" Willow asked trying to make any sense of this conversation

"No…but I can feel it on the atmosphere…it's like an…energy or something" he took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one up

"Well, I think it can be just your paranoia talking" Tara said mischievously. She then stood up, reached over to his cigarettes and snatched the pack out of his hands; she sneered at him, lifted the pack to her lips, pulled one out and lit it up. She dragged it and puffed out without breaking their gaze

"Thanks" she said returning the pack to him

"Tara, what are you doing?" asked an astonished redhead

"What?" Tara asked and saw her friends staring at her with their mouths agape

"You never smoked" Willow said surprised by her girlfriend's behavior

"well, that's not entirely true" she answered shaking the cigarette that she was holding between her index and middle finger "I've had my rebel days" she took another drag of the cigarette

"Rebel, you?" Spike snorted not buying her behavior "please…I bet the most dangerous thing you've ever done was crossing the street without checking both sides" he said smirking

"I may surprise you" she answered challengingly

"Don't get me wrong bird…but your soul is so pure that you might get a pair of wings after you die" he said locking eyes with her

"Baby, are you okay?" Willow asked softly placing a concerned hand on Tara's shoulder

"yes…I'm okay" she smiled at her girlfriend and the redhead could see all the softness back in her baby's sapphire blue eyes "I'm sorry…I don't know why I lit this…" she showed the cigarette in her hand "but if it bothers you I'll just put it out" she then threw it on the floor and stepped over it "okay?"

"Thank you" Willow whispered with a worried smile; sensing her girlfriend's uneasiness Tara caressed Willow's face

"Will, you and Ariel are the most important things in my life…I love you" she took Willow's hand in hers and pulled her into a loving hug

"Is there room in this hug for an old watcher?" they all turn to look at the front door

"Giles?"

"Oh my god" Tara ran to meet her father figure with a tight embrace

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" Buffy asked replacing Tara in the watcher's arms

"I'm sorry…I left in a bit of a hurry"

"Why, is everything okay?" Willow asked sensing trouble ahead

"Actually that's what I was going to ask" he said moving around the shop "how's everything around here?"

"Well, you know, the usual…no apocalypses" Xander answered "why?"

"I was at the council and some seers started to get…restless about their visions" he removed his glasses and started cleaning them

"Why? What did they see?" Tara asked furrowing her brows

"The future…a very chaotic one" he tucked his glasses back on "they said something about darkness"

"Funny…Ariel has been dreaming about, like she said, dark" Willow commented

"Yeah, and to make weird weirder, Spike shows up talking about sensing a bad energy in the air" Xander observed

"Do you think there's a connection?" Buffy asked concernedly

"I'm afraid so"


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys,_

_Thanks for all the feedback…I love it!_

_Keep doing it…_

_WA24_

Part 4

Willow was standing at the window of the master suite in Buffy's house. She'd been living at the Summers' residency for what 6, 7 years now? She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear her girlfriend walk in

"Penny for your thoughts" Tara's sweet voice broke her reverie

"Penny?" she turned around and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist "since when have you become cheap?" she said kissing her girlfriend soundly

"Is she okay?" Willow asked referring to their child

"Yeah…it's just a small fever" Tara answered moving towards the closet

"What about you?" Willow asked tentatively

"Me? What about me?"

"Tara, your behavior today was…weird" Willow sighed

"You're talking about the smoking?" Tara asked smiling, receiving a nod as an answer she continued "baby I was just messing with Spike"

"What about the rebel thing?" something was bugging the redhead "you never told me anything about having a 'rebel phase'…a-and your eyes"

"My eyes?" Tara raised a questioning eyebrow

"Yeah…when I looked at your eyes, just for a second, they were…different" Willow said in a troubled tone

"Different how?"

"I don't know…like you weren't…yourself" she sighed and ran a hand through her red locks

"Like I was possessed or something?" Tara asked upset

"No…I didn't sense a fragmented energy or anything" she answered referring to Tara's explanation on how she new Buffy wasn't Buffy when they first met "it was just…not you"

"Come here baby" Tara took Willow's hand in hers and pulled her closer "look at me…what you see?" she asked locking green with blue

"My blue babies" she answered relieved

"Okay, do you want to play a game?" Tara asked with a teasing smile

"What kind of game?" Willow lifted a curious eyebrow

"A game to prove that I am…me" Tara raised both eyebrows in a playful manner

"And how are you gonna do that?" Willow crossed her arms challengingly

"Okay" Tara walked both of them to the bed "you can ask me any question, but…" she moved behind Willow "it has to be a personal question…something only you and I know of" she was whispering seductively into the redhead's ear "our questions" Willow was becoming dizzy not only because of Tara's sweet voice but also because of the light kisses the blonde was planting on her neck and ear

"Okay" she answered weakly

"But…"

"But?"

"But every correct answer I give, you must remove a piece of your clothing" she nibbled Willow's ear softly "what do you say?"

"Vixen"

Buffy, Tara and Ariel were in the kitchen having breakfast when they heard Faith walk in

"Okay, how do I look?" the brunette slayer asked posing for appreciation; the three blondes in the kitchen stared mutely at her until Buffy broke the silence with a very appreciative whistle

"You look…hot" answered the slayer almost drooling

"Aw, thank you baby" she said rewarding her girlfriend with a wet kiss

"So Faith…"Tara asked when the slayers parted "where are you going so…"

"Hot" Ariel completed the sentence making the adults giggle

"Well, I have a job interview" Faith informed pouring a glass of juice

"Oh, is that today?" Buffy asked and Faith nodded while drinking her juice

"Nice…and are you planning on seducing the interviewer?" Tara asked playfully

"Actually" Faith started but yelped after receiving a poke on her waistline "I'm kidding…it's in a gym, so I'm planning on showing them that I work out"

"Gym, huh?" Buffy raised a suspicious eyebrow

"yeah, they're looking for a martial arts instructor" she explained "you know…self defense, kick boxing…this kind of stuff" she moved to finish arranging her backpack "since I've been practicing on daily basis for almost ten years now, I thought why not getting paid to kick people's asses" she settled the backpack on her shoulders

"Ah Faith…you do realize that you're not gonna get paid for that, right?" Tara asked reasonably

"Yeah, baby" Buffy join in "they're going to pay you to TEACH how to kick people's asses"

"Potatoes…potatoes" she waved her hands dismissingly "alright, I'm out of here" she moved to Buffy and kissed her on the lips again and then moved to Tara and kissed her on the cheek "where's Red?"

"Oh, she went to LA…business meeting…she'll be here by night fall" Tara informed

"Cool" Faith nodded and turned to Ariel "bye kiddo…wish me luck"

"Luck" Ariel answered cheerfully; Faith laughed and kissed her

"Hey, you still warm…drink your fluids"

"Okay"

"Bye"

The interview was a total success; Faith's plan worked as a charm and the interviewer was totally seduced by her…assets. After settling everything about her new job, she decided to take a walk downtown and enjoy the nice sunny afternoon. She hadn't walked much far from the gym when something caught her eye

"Red?" she questioned aloud

She saw Willow sitting at a table on the outside of a café talking to a gorgeous blonde woman

"I'll be damned" Faith was trying hard to keep her temper in check, but she decided to find out why Willow had lied to Tara. She approached the couple without them noticing her presence; using her slayer hearing she got a bit of their conversation

"Willow, I can assure you total satisfaction...or your money back" the blonde said with a smile on her lips

"Well…I'm very demanding" Willow answered

"Nobody has ever complained about my work" she said taking a sip of her iced tea

"Hello Red…am I interrupting something?" she said narrowing her eyes at the redhead

"Faith?"


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

"Faith? W-what are you doing here?" Willow asked nervously

"Funny, I should ask you the same question" Faith replied cynically "cause your GIRLFRIEND…told me you would be in LA for the day" she said narrowing her eyes at the blonde lady

"Uh…I think I should…uh…go" the blonde said awkwardly "call me"

"It was nice NOT meeting you" Faith shouted bratty to the retreating woman

"Faith, it is not what you're thinking" Willow said almost defensively

"Oh really?" she asked in a mocking tone "so I guess you have a pretty good explanation about why you lied to Tara"

"As a matter of fact, I do" the redhead nodded emphatically. The slayer took the blonde's sit and crossed her ankles comfortably on an empty chair across the table

"I'm all ears"

"Okay, uh…where should I start?" Willow scratched her head trying to come up with something

"Start with the bimbo…and give me a nice story cause I'm not planning on keeping my mouth shut" Faith crossed her arms in front of her chest threateningly making the redhead swallow dryly

Buffy and Giles were working on the training room

"So, any new lead on this new big evil?" Buffy asked doing some arm stretches

"No…I'm afraid we have no idea of what's coming" Giles replied picking up a large piece of wood. Buffy put one leg up on the horse and stretched

"That's bad, isn't it?"

"Usually…so have you noticed anything out of the ordinary lately?" he held the wood and Buffy kicked it in two

"Nope…it's been pretty much the usual around here" she answered doing some shoulder rolls

"What about patrols?" he put the wood down "hyperactivities, lack of activities?"

"same old, same old…" she answered stretching her arms again "I'm telling you Giles, things are pretty normal around here" she said doing a handstand on the horse "oh…oh…" she leaped from the horse quickly

"What?" he asked startled by her outburst

"You should talk to Faith"

"Faith?" he frowned and she nodded

"Yeah…last night she was very...introspective" she furrowed her brows "and when I asked her what was wrong she asked if I had noticed anything weird about Tara"

"Tara? Why Tara?"

"Dunno" she shrugged and moved to the punching bag "she was going to explain it but then we met a group of vamps and…Spike" she made a disgusting face and started punching the bag

"Hum…where's Faith now?" Giles asked with a pensive look on his face

"Oh, she went for a job interview...but she must be done by now" she turned to look at him "call her cell"

"I will" he said nodding "uh…can you…finish by yourself?" he asked motioned to the weapons on the floor

"Yeah…sure go ahead" she waved him off and resumed her punches

"So…you switched teams, huh?" she jerked her head to look behind her

"Spike…" she said annoyed "seriously…put a bell around your neck" she turned and started kicking the bag

"So is it for real?" he asked entering the room

"What are you talking about?" she asked in a bored tone

"You not driving stick anymore" he asked cocking his head to look at her butt

"Oh that…" she turned to face him "is it so hard to believe?" she asked putting her hands on her hips

"Kinda…I mean, you used to like…it" he used his head to point to his crotch "a lot…I never thought you would swing that way" he smirked at her

"Just proves that you don't know me as much as you think" she replied and started cleaning up the room

"Maybe…but, are you…satisfied?" he insisted furrowing his brows; she stood straight and narrowed her eyes at him

"Not that it's any of business, but…totally" she closed her eyes and sighed very pleased

"Oh, yeah? And what does she do to you?" he asked provocatively. She moved closer to him and whispered in his ear

"Everything you couldn't" she walked past him and left, leaving him mute and alone

Meanwhile

"So Red, I'm waiting…who's Blondie?" Faith asked impatiently; Willow released a big sigh and answered

"Her name's Jessica Taylor, she's a…jewelry designer"

"A what?" Faith raised a questioned eyebrow

"Jewelry designer…she designs jewelry" the redhead explained gesticulating

"I know what a designer does…" she rolled her eyes "I just don't see any relevance here" Willow ran both hands through her red locks and went on

"I asked her to meet me here today cause I…uh…I want her to create this…uh, ring so I can ask Tara to marry me" she said the last sentence very quickly in a single breath

"You're gonna propose? " Faith's eyes almost came out of their sockets

"I'm planning on it, but… I can't seem to find a ring...cause it can't be just any ring it has to be the most perfect ring ever cause Tara is the most perfect woman in the world a-and I always dreamed on getting down on my knees and ask her to be my wife and I simply can't do it with an ordinary ring cause she deserves the best…I-I-I see violins a-and flowers a-a-and champagne but there is this stupid ring I can't seem to find anywhere" she finished her babbling with slumped shoulders. The rogue slayer kept her gaze fixed on the redhead as if considering something; she then sat straight and declared

"I think I can help you"


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey,_

_I'd really like to thank you guys for the kind words…_

_I love the comments!_

_Enjoy,_

_WA 24_

Part 6

"So Giles, did you talk to Faith?" Buffy asked as soon as she and her former watcher walked inside the house

"Ah, yes…she said she'll be home soon and she also asked me to inform you that the interview was a success" he said depositing some bags on the kitchen table

"Cool…so she got the job" the slayer said lifting a bottle of water to her lips

"I believe so"

"Great…we'll celebrate tonight then" she grinned playfully

"Celebrate what?" Tara questioned curious about the grin plastered on the blonde slayer's face

"Faith got the job" Buffy announced proudly

"Nice" Tara said pouring some OJ for her daughter who was sitting on the couch in the living room "so the outfit worked huh?"

"Like a charm" they both burst out laughing. Giles shook his head not quite getting the inside joke between the blondes; he moved to the living room and saw his granddaughter playing quietly with her new doll

"Hey angel" he said approaching the little girl "did you like the doll?"

"Yes grandpa…it's pretty" she answered producing a sad smile

"Then what's wrong?" asked worriedly "why do you look so sad?" he sat next to her and smoothed her locks

"I don't know…"she sighed and put her doll down "I have this feeling" she said furrowing her brows "it's like something bad is about to happen"

"Can you see anything?" he asked observing that she had her gaze lost in space; she just shook her head in a negative way "can you feel anything…concrete?"

"No. it's just this…sensation that makes my head hurt and my eyes start burning" he moved closer to her and held her face with both hands

"Sweetie, you're a bit warm" he declared moving his hand to feel her forehead "I think you're developing a temperature" he stood up and picked her up "come here…let's go see your mama"

Meanwhile across town Faith approached Willow who was drumming her fingers impatiently on the table at the same café they had met earlier

"Hey"

"Hey, finally" the redhead threw both hands in the air "where have you been? I was almost leaving"

"Sorry" the brunette apologized sitting on the chair across the table "I had to sneak home undetected to get something"

"get what?" the redhead rubbed her face a little irritated "Faith, you lost me…you said you could help me with the ring and then you dashed out and told me to wait here…and now you arrive and say you went home" she opened her arms dramatically "why did you go home?"

"To get this" she put a small dark velvet box on the table

"What is it?" Willow asked clueless. The brunette slayer sighed and reclined back on her sit

"A couple of months before coming back here…Tara and I were in a mall in London" she bit the inside of her cheek as if trying to recall the scene correctly "we passed by a jewelry store and she stopped by the window; she looked enchanted by something…when I asked her what was it, she answered: 'that's the most perfect ring I've ever seen in my life'…" Willow was listening attentively to the rogue slayer; Faith had her eyes fixed on the horizon as if she had been transported back to that mall over a year ago "I remember that her eyes were shining…I followed her gaze and I saw…it" she reached over to retrieve the box and opened it showing the content to the redhead. Willow looked inside and gasped; Faith closed the box and went on with the story "when we were packing to come back here…I don't know why, but I went to the mall…and bought it"

"You were going to ask Tara to marry you!" Willow half asked half affirmed with her eyes wide opened; Faith gave a little snort and scratched her nose

"The idea did cross my mind" she answered nodding sheepishly "who am I kidding?" she shook her head and reclined back looking up to the sky "I carried the ring in my pocket for a week or two after we arrived here…then things went down the hill and well…you know the story" she waved a hand at Willow. The redhead was speechless, she had never considered the depth of the rogue slayer's feelings for Tara; she had always thought of it as a fling, an infatuation, but here was the all tough Faith showing her a romantic side she never knew that could exist. She lowered her eyes and saw the velvet box on the table

"Can I?" she asked timidly

"Go ahead" Faith pushed it towards the redhead

"Oh my God!" she gasped again lifting a hand to her lips "Faith this is…"

"Perfect?" the brunette completed watching the witch's eyes tear up "I think it was meant to be Tara's after all, huh?"

"w-what you mean?" Willow choked trying to make sure she was hearing correctly

"I mean keep it…give it to her" Faith said honestly

"b-but I-I can't…it's yours, you bought it" Willow stuttered nervously "why d-don't you keep it…for yourself? Or maybe give it to…to Buffy someday?"

"Nah…I bought it for Tara" she shook her head dismissively "it's hers…I just can't give it, so…I guess you're the right person for the job" she crossed her hands behind her neck supporting her head

"B-b-but…"

"trust me Red…this is the ring you've been looking for" she nodded in the box's direction; Willow couldn't believe what was happening, she had browsed everywhere looking for a perfect ring; she had searched online, visited many famous stories in LA, and now out of the blue it lands freely on her lap coming as a gift from her girlfriend's former girlfriend. _"This is a great irony…this is destiny"_ she thought

"Thank you Faith…I don't know what else to say"

"You don't have to say anything, Red…but" she sat straight and narrowed her eyes at the redhead witch "hurt her again and I will kick your ass all the way from here to Singapore" Willow gulped audible "deal?" she asked smirking and watched the redhead nod vehemently


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

Buffy and Faith were cuddling on the couch in the living room watching a very upset Anya changing Joan's diapers

"okay sweetie, here's your first lesson on men 101" she said unfastening the grip "they are useless…you can't count on them for much anything" she removed the dirty diaper making a face because of the smell and threw it away "the two most import things for them are beer and football" she lifted the baby's legs to clean up her little tooshie "they marry you, get you pregnant and when the baby is born and mess with your body and you are not as attractive as you were before they simply run away from sex and deprive you from delicious orgasms" she finished putting some talcum and fastening the clean diaper

"What is she talking about?" Faith asked amazed by the ex demon's speech

"Apparently Xander is…uh, how can I say…uh…not as present as he should be…if you know what I mean" Buffy answered making a gesture with her fingers

"Oh…" she said realizing what the blonde meant

"Yeah"

"you know…a woman has needs" Anya continued her lesson "and when her man is not fulfilling them, she got three options" she said putting the baby back on the stroller "one…take maters in your own hands" both slayers' eyes bulged almost coming off their sockets "gives the same degree of pleasure and when you're finished you don't have to listen to someone snoring at your side all night" she was on fire "two…you can have an affair…you know…find another man to give you orgasms" she explained to the clueless child "or three…you can become a lesbian…when you're older I'll teach you about lesbians" she finished putting the things back in the baby's bag. Buffy and Faith were shaking their heads as if not believing their ears "speaking of lesbians…"

"Oh my God, she's not finished" Buffy exclaimed hiding her face in her girlfriend's neck. Anya sighed and rolled her eyes

"What I was going to ask was…where's Willow?"

"That's a very good question" Tara said coming down from the stairs

"You don't know where she is?" Buffy asked a little surprise

"Not exactly…" Tara answered picking Joan up "well…she told me she was going out with Ariel but didn't say where to…" she played with the baby "she's been all mysterious lately"

"Mysterious how?" Faith asked getting up from the couch

"For starters, she was on the phone all day yesterday" she put the baby back down "and every time I came around she changed the subject…and today she left without saying where she was going"

"Maybe she's having an affair" Anya shrugged simply

"She's not" Buffy jumped on her best friend's defense "didn't she tell you anything?"

"Actually she told me to dress up that she was going to pick me up at eight" Tara answered

"There you go…I'm sure she's got a perfect explanation for her behavior" Buffy said reasonably

"Yeah, she probably does" Tara agreed nodding slowly. The front door opened and Giles walked in

"Oh…hello" he greeted the group

"Hey Giles…bye Giles" Faith said walking to the door

"Uh, Faith?" he called the brunette slayer

"Yeah?"

"I…uh…I'd really like to talk to you…what time will you be home?" he asked tentatively

"By five...why?" she asked lifting an intrigued eyebrow "what's the matter?"

"Nothing much" he answered simply "I just wish to discuss some…uh…patrolling impressions with you"

"Oh…okay" she said shrugging "later then…come on B" she called and the blonde joined her at the door

"Uh…you're leaving too?" he questioned her

"yeah…Principal Woods decided to keep a close eye on me…something about me being constantly late" she said rolling her eyes "and since I can't kick his ass I might as well be on time…so bye" she waved and left

"Okay…I have to go too" Tara said gathering her stuff

"You too?" he asked amazed by the dispersion

"Yes…I have some term papers to grade and some lectures to prepare" she explained putting on a pair of glasses "plus I have to be home early to get ready for my…whatever that Willow's been up to"

"You look so cute when you wear your glasses" he complimented and she blushed

"Thank you…see you later" she smiled and left

"Bye" he waved and turned to look at Anya "what about you?"

"Me?" she snorted "since I've been lacking of orgasms I'd better go and make some money" she said pushing the stroller towards the front door

"I'll come with you" he declared holding the door for her

"Good…so tell me, what is it good for male impotence?" she asked nonchalantly

"I beg your pardon?" he closed the door behind him

Later that day, Buffy walked inside the house and was greeted by her sister

"Hey Buffy"

"Hi…what you doing here?" she asked

"I'm helping Tara getting dressed" Dawn answered fussing with what seemed to be a make up kit

"Oh…did Willow show up?" she asked moving to the couch

"Nope…but it's almost eight she should be here soon"

"Hey guys" Xander greeted them

"Hi Xan" Dawn offered and ran upstairs to finish with Tara

"Hey…what's up?" he asked joining Buffy on the couch

"Tara is getting ready for her mysterious date with Will and Dawn is helping her" she informed "where's Anya? Still enjoying her celibate?" she asked smirking at her friend

"What…how do you…" he sighed dramatically "what did she say?"

"Oh, she didn't tell me anything specifically, but she was teaching your daughter how to…uh…take matters in her own hands" she pursed her lips together

"Oh God!" he covered his eyes with both hands

"What's going on Xan?" she asked sympathetically

"Well…I've been under a lot of stress" he explained honestly "you know…I've been trying to get this promotion cause now I have a child and a wife to support…and I could really use the money"

"You've been working your ass out, huh?" she rubbed a hand on his back

"Yeah…and when I get home I'm really tired and well…she's Anya" they both nodded in understatement "the problem is that little soldier here is beginning to fail me" he finished dejectedly

"You should talk to her" Buffy said honestly "if there's one thing Anya understands better than sex is money"

"Yeah" he nodded and looked up "Holly Molly!" he exclaimed with his jaw dropping by the sight of Tara on the stairs

"So how do I look?" she asked self-consciously

"Wow…you look great" Buffy said cheerfully

"Beautiful…absolutely beautiful" Xander complimented her

"Told you…Willow is gonna drool when she sees you" Dawn said bumping the blonde with her shoulder

"I don't know…I'm not used to dress like…this" she waved to her own body

The door bell rang

"Trust me…you look perfect" Dawn said and moved to open the door; she then saw Ariel standing there looking all serious "hey squirt"

"Good evening…I'm looking for Ms Tara Maclay" she said with a straight face

"Oh, you do, do you?" Dawn questioned cynically "one moment please" Dawn stepped aside to reveal Tara; she'd been watching the scene amazed by her daughter's representation; she then came forward and stopped on the threshold

"Yes?" she tried hard to remain serious

"Ms Maclay?" she asked

"Yes…that's me" Tara played along

"I have a message from Ms Rosenberg" she said letting a bit of her British accent show

"Okay" Tara nodded biting the inside of her cheek

"She says she's waiting for you" the little girl handed the blonde a beautiful red rose "your carriage awaits princess" she motioned for a white limo parking outside with an uniformed driver standing by it holding the door open for her

"Oh my goddess" she gasped

"Go meet your love mama" Ariel whispered smiling


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey guys,_

_Thanks for all the feedback…keep doing it!_

_Enjoy,_

_WA24_

Part 8

It wasn't a long journey; the limo brought Tara to a place she had never been to. It was on the top of a hill, but the scenario had been carefully prepared with a table well set with fine china and crystal glasses, soft music could be heard although there wasn't a radio or anyone around playing it; several strings of white Christmas lights hung over the trees giving a fine romantic touch. It was a beautiful night, not hot, not chilly…the sky was starry … just perfect. Tara took on her surrounds and broke into a big grin when she saw her girlfriend smiling sweetly at her

"Hi" Willow greeted handing another rose to the blonde

"Hi" Tara whispered softly moved by her girlfriend's thoughtfulness. Willow came close, leaned over to the blonde and whispered softly in her ear

"You are breathtaking" Tara blushed and shied away; she lowered her head like she used to do when they first met. Willow smiled and put a gentle finger on the blonde's chin lifting her face so their eyes could meet "don't hide…please, you're too beautiful to hide" Tara's eyes were glistening with unshed tears

"You l-look gorgeous" she said with an appreciative look on her face

"Thank you" the redhead was pleased by her girlfriend's satisfaction "shall we?" she said offering her arm in a chivalry manner. Tara smiled and took it

"So, why the big production?" she asked curiously, the redhead smiled pulling the chair for the blonde to sit

"Patience is a virtue, darling" she lifted Tara's face and planted a soft kiss on her lips; she then moved around and took a sit across the table

"Wine?" Tara nodded and the redhead filled her glass smiling promisingly

At the magic box

"So Giles…what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Faith asked while helping the watcher put away some books

"uh, yes…of course" he said coming down the ladder he was using to reach some high shelves "the other day Buffy told me you showed some concerns about Tara" he stopped in front of her "what has exactly been bothering you?"

"Well, I…uh…have nothing solid, you know" she said shaking her head hesitantly

"Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?" he was intrigued by her resistance

"That's exactly what I'm telling you…"she opened her arms dramatically "pieces and bits…but nothing concrete"

"Elaborate…" he was curious

"Okay…"she sighed frustrated "she's…uh…different, but not all the time…it's like it comes and goes" she explained snapping her fingers for emphasis "it's like…she changes, but in a flash she gets back to our old sweet Tara"

"How long has this been happening?" he asked removing his glasses

"For a while" she said stuffing both hands on her back pockets "but it's becoming more frequent lately"

"Can you give me some examples of these…changes?" he asked furrowing his brows

"uh…the other night with Spike…she was all with the attitude" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair "sometimes it's just subtle like…uh, bad language or a look but…" she shook her head and rubbed her face nervously "I don't know, Giles…maybe I'm reading too much into it" she said shrugging dismissively "I mean…if there was something wrong with Tara, Red would've noticed, right?"

"Maybe…but sometimes we have a better view from the outside" he answered tugging his glasses back on

"What you saying?" she asked confused

"I'm saying…maybe Willow is too involved…too attached to see anything"

"Are you saying that it might have something wrong with Tara?" she raised a questioning eyebrow

"I have no way of knowing that…the best thing we can do now, however, is keeping a close eye on her" he said with a pensive look on his face "but we must be discreet…let's keep it between us…for now"

"Deal" she nodded slowly

Back at the hill Willow and Tara were just finishing enjoying their meal and savoring the wine the redhead had purchased; Tara was delighted by the surprises her girlfriend had prepared to her that night. Sensing the blonde's friendly mood, Willow decided to approach the subject that she had in mind

"Tara, have you ever thought of having a house of your own?" she asked putting down her glass

"What you mean?" Tara asked using her napkin to dry her lips

"I mean a house where we could live just us…you, me and Ariel" she looked expectantly at the blonde

"You mean you don't want to live with Buffy anymore?" she asked trying to see where this conversation was going

"it's not that I don't want to…it's just that lately I've been thinking a lot about our future" she said playing with the hem of her napkin "I've been thinking on how I wish we could find a house…a small house in a quiet neighborhood where Ariel could learn to ride a bike and maybe…I don't know…get a little brother or sister" she said it sheepishly using her glass to cover a smirk caused by the look on Tara's face "we could…uh…have a pet…a new kitty, maybe"

"White picket fences and all?" Tara asked smiling adorably at her girlfriend

"White picket fences and all…yeah" Willow fidget excitedly on her seat making Tara laugh

"Wow…it looks that you really gave it some thought, huh?" she teased making the redhead blush a crimson red "is it what this is all about? You bought us a house? You want us to move out?" Willow looked deeply into the sapphire blue eyes and released a big nervous sigh

"Tara, in all my life I never thought I'd be luck enough to meet someone who would make me feel the way I do when I'm near you. The most precious moment in my life, was the day you crashed on me…literally" she giggled and sniffed drawing some courage to continue "you changed my life…I love you…you're so special, so beautiful…I can't imagine my life without you" Tara was not holding back any tear, they were cascading down her face freely; Willow's heart was thundering inside her chest "you make me happy…happier than I ever thought I could be…and I want to spend the rest of my life at your side trying to make you feel loved and safe and special"

"Oh, Willow…" Tara couldn't form a coherent sentence right now her emotions were at a peak and her heart was running wildly

"Hey, what's that?" Willow said furrowing her brows

"What?" Tara asked confused

"On the sky…" Willow pointed with her index finger. Tara lifted her head and looked up; the redhead made a gesture with her hand and an impressive shower of colored sparkles appeared on the sky exploding like fireworks forming the sentence _'be my wife!' _

"Oh, my God!" Tara gasped and covered her mouth with both hands in a shocking, totally surprised way. Willow stood up, moved over to the blonde, got down on one knee, took out the dark velvet box and opened it reveling a gorgeous contemporary designed engagement ring with an emerald cut center stone and 12 square cut sapphires mounted in platinum

"Tara Maclay, will you marry me?" she whispered expectantly; Tara's eyes widened at the sight of the ring and for less than a second she felt her heart stop; her mind was racing, her heart started pumping furiously, she was crying freely, but one look at expectant green eyes and she knew there could only be one answer

"Yes"


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

At the magic shop, the bell jingled and the front door opened to reveal Xander. He walked inside and noticed Willow comforting a sobbing Buffy

"Hey, what's going on? Why is Buffy crying?" he asked worriedly joining his friends at the table

"Willow is getting married" Anya informed from behind the counter where she and Giles where organizing some products

"Yeah, so…" he shrugged confused

"She…is…getting…married…before…me" the slayer said between sobs

"Oh…I see" he said understanding the situation

"It's been like that the whole week" Willow said looking at him "if she hears the 'w' word the crying begins" she informed stroking softly her friend's blonde hair

"Hey, come on Buff…" he said taking her hand "I thought you and Faith were happy together"

"We are…" she sniffed and used a Kleenex to blow her nose "but I always dreamed on walking down the aisle wearing a white dress and having flowers and friends"

"Oh Buffy…I didn't know that underneath the all mighty powerful slayer lay a romantic little girl" Giles said mockingly

"Shut up Giles" she shot back and pout making her friends giggle

The bell jingled again and this time Dawn walked in

"Hey guys" she greeted happily

"Hey Dawnie" Willow smiled sweetly

"You guys remember Jason, right?" she said pulling her boyfriend by their joint hands

"Yeah sure…hi Jason" the redhead waved at him

"Hi" he replied shyly

"Hey man…what's up?" Xander stood up and shook his hand

"Nothing much…working like crazy" he smiled sheepishly

"Oh, he's so devoted and a wonderful doctor" Dawn informed proudly

"People say medicine is a calling" Giles came from behind the counter cleaning his glasses

"And they are right" he answered nodding "it's a calling you have to answer to…you can't ignore it; but it's hard…you miss a lot of things" he said seriously "you barely see your family, you don't have time for your friends…hell, you don't have time for yourself" he said with a little snort "you don't sleep, you eat badly, but when you have somebody's life in your hands and you actually save them…man you feel powerful" his eyes were glistening but he looked at the gang listening to him and blushed "sorry…I got carried away"

"It's okay…we can see you are passionate" Giles said smiling at the boy

"That I am…there's no bigger reward to me than see the happiness in their eyes when they thank you for saving their lives…it's wonderful" he smiled

"See…that's why I'll marry him" Dawn said pecking him on the lips; the gang was suddenly startled by the sound of Buffy bursting into tears

"Oh shit…not again" Anya lifted her arms in exasperation

"What? What did I say?" Dawn asked confused

"We can't talk about marriage or anything related to it" the ex demon informed in an annoyed tone

"Why?"

"Well, since Willow and Tara got engaged, Buffy's been a little sensitive over the topic" Xander informed

"I'll never get married…I'll never gonna have a wedding party…a wedding cake" she was crying convulsively

"Oh, come on Buffy…don't be so defeatist" she said patting her sister's shoulder

"Yeah, who knows…maybe Faith surprises you some day" Xander said cheerfully

"Yeah right" she snorted and blew her nose again "when hell freezes maybe" she said sniffing

"Come on Buffy, give her some credit" Dawn coaxed

"Ha…can you imagine Faith proposing to someone?" the blonde slayer asked wiping her eyes and missing the concerned look on the redhead's face "she's probably allergic to this word"

"I don't know Buff…" Willow said seriously "she's changed…really changed" the blonde slayer raised a very suspicious eyebrow caused by the look on her friend's face

Meanwhile downtown

"Okay guys…thank you very much…see you next class…nice work everybody" Faith said dismissing her class; she grabbed a bottle of water and started drinking it; she almost chocked when she heard a soft voice behind her

"Hey" she spun to see Tara standing by the door

"Hey you…what you doing here?" she asked surprised by the visit

"Oh…I was on the neighborhood" she answered with her trade mark grin "so…how do you like your new job?"

"it's okay" the brunette answered tossing the bottle away "I don't get to kick many butts…but"

"I see" Tara nodded and walked in

"And you? Excited about the wedding?"

"Yes…yes I am" she answered with a big grin on her face "I was actually visiting some stores here…checking some prices and all"

"Oh…busy, busy, busy" Faith teased

"Yeah…I was going to invite Buffy to come but…"

"Oh please don't…" Faith raised both hands in a desperate gesture "don't even mention the word 'wedding' near her, please" she begged making Tara laugh

"So…when is your next class?" the blonde asked still giggling

"Uh…in forty-five minutes" the slayer answered checking the clock on the wall "why? Want to get something to eat?"

"Actually, I was thinking if we could…you know" she said making a fight gesture

"Spar?" she lifted a questioning brow and the blonde nodded "oh, I see…you came all the way here for an opportunity to kick my ass"

"Well…I always thought you had a nice ass" she winked flirtingly making the brunette's jaw drop and her eyes widen in shock causing the blonde to release a heartfelt laugh "so…yes or no?" she crossed her arms over her chest

"Well, you're not dressed properly" she put her hands on her hips and checked the blonde's working clothes. Tara lifted a teasing eyebrow and showed her backpack hanging over her left shoulder "alright then…go change" Faith pointed to the dressing rooms with her thumb and shook her head

"Be right back" Tara said dashing from the room

True to her word Tara was back fast wearing a pair of grey sweat pants and a white tank top; she and Faith warmed up a little and soon started fighting

Faith was punching Tara but she was blocking all the jabs, the blonde then kicked Faith in the stomach making she bent down

"Hey, come on…don't go easy on me" Tara said opening her arms

"I'm not" Faith said panting "you're in really good shape" she stood straight and rolled her shoulders "have you been practicing behind my back?" she asked faking an offended tone; Tara laughed and charged at her again; they exchanged a few blows and kicks

"So, are you gonna tell me?" Tara asked blocking another punch

"Tell you what?" Faith asked dodging a blow

"How did Willow get that ring?" Tara asked and spun delivering a circle kick; the blonde's question took the slayer by surprise making her down her guard for a second; it was enough for the kick to hit the brunette's face sending her to the floor

"Oh my God, Faith" Tara gasped and knelt beside her friend "are you okay?"

"Ow…ouch" Faith winced covering her right eye with one hand and using the other for support

"I'm sorry…Jesus, I didn't mean to" Tara apologized nervously trying to help the brunette "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry"

"It's okay…I'm fine" Faith said trying to calm the blonde

"No you're not…you're bleeding" she said seeing blood dripping all over Faith's shirt

"It's nothing…it's the eyebrow region" she said trying to stop the bleeding "it bleeds a lot" Tara searched frantically for a peace of cloth and found a white towel

"Here, put some pressure…" she applied the towel to the wound and pushed Faith's hand on it "I'll go get a first aid kit" she stood up and practically flew to the reception desk; a few minutes later Tara was kneeling in front of her with a bag of cotton balls and bottle of antiseptic; carefully, she applied it the wound

"Hey…ow…it stings" Faith complained

"Don't be such a baby" Tara said narrowing her eyes

"Baby? You opened up me eyebrow" Faith said her breathing skipping over the stinging liquid "you probably gave me a black eye…it will ruin my reputation"

"Well, you lost your concentration" Tara said throwing away the cotton ball and grabbing two small band aids "so, do you have something to tell me?" sticking the adhesives on the brunette's eyebrow

"I don't know what you're talking about" she said touching the dressing carefully

"oh, no?" Tara challenged putting away the first aid kit "so you just want me to believe that you had nothing to do with the ring Willow gave to me?" she stood up "which by the way happens to be the same ring you saw me staring at in that mall in London"

"Oh, it's the same ring?" Faith faked innocence

"Faith!" Tara said exasperatedly

"What?" she asked standing up "what you want me to say? Maybe Red browsed the internet and saw it" she started pacing "you two have the same taste…it's Destiny" she opened her arms dramatically

"That's your version?" Tara asked with an eyebrow raised

"Look, T…" the slayer sighed dramatically "forget it okay? What matters is that you're happy, right?" Tara nodded slowly "Red loves you, you love her…you're going to get married and live happily ever after, okay?" she looked expectantly to the blonde who seemed to be studying her. Releasing a big sigh, Tara unfolded her arms and moved closer to the slayer, leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips

"Thank you" she whispered softy and smiled


	10. Chapter 10

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Enjoy,

Part 10

One week later

It's late in the night at the Summers house. The slayers were lying cuddling; Faith were sleeping soundly while Buffy mumbled incoherent words and grew more agitated, she suddenly sat up panting and sweating

"NO!" she shouted startling Faith awake

"Hey…what's wrong?" she asked concerned; Buffy turned to her girlfriend and sighed relieved

"I had a nightmare" she used her arm to wipe the sweat off her forehead

"Wanna talk about it?" she offered sincerely

"I don't know" Buffy said running both hands through her long hair "it was like a big blur" she sighed and turned to look at Faith "something bad is going to happen, Faith" she said worriedly "can you feel it?"

"Yeah…yes I can feel it" she said reclining on the head board of the bed

"I'm scared" Buffy said locking eyes with the brunette

"Come here baby" Faith invited opening her arms for the blonde

"We have no idea of what's coming" Buffy said snuggling up "so we can't be prepared"

"We'll deal and we'll succeed…we always do" she said softly stroking Buffy's hair and kissing her head sweetly. The blonde slayer relaxed in the warmth of her girlfriend's arms, she sighed and tightened her embrace, she then let go and sat straight; she put a hand on the brunette's face and made eye contact looking deeply into hazel eyes

"I love you" she whispered softly making the brunette's heart beat faster

"I love you too" she replied honestly making the blonde smile widely; the brunette mirrored her smile and pulled her close for a long and passionate kiss

The next morning the bell at the magic box jingled when Spike entered fuming under his coat because of the sun light

"You must be the dumbest vampire on Earth" Anya said amused

"Oh shut up demon girl" he grumbled and slumped into a chair next Giles who was reading at the table

"What do we own the visit, Spike?" Giles said looking up from his book

"Do I need a reason to hang around?" he asked smirking

"It's day light" Giles said removing his glasses "vampires don't do social visits during the day"

"Fine" he sighed uncomfortably "whatever is coming, is close"

"You can feel it" it wasn't a question, Giles could sense the vampire uneasiness

"Bloody yes…it's unsettling" he said jumping out of his seat

"That's because we don't know what we are up against" Giles observed putting his glasses back on "what exactly can you sense?"

"I don't know…it's like a…"

"Electricity" Anya practically shouted from behind the counter "very powerful"

"Can you feel it too?" the watcher asked a little surprised

"Yes…it's like an electric chain crawling under my skin" she said "makes me horny"

"The girl knows what she's talking about" the blond vampire said pointing to her with his thumb

"Dear Lord"

Later that day at the Summer's kitchen

"Hey will…whatcha doing?" Buffy asked sitting on a stool

"Oh, hey Buffy…I was making some tea" the redhead said showing the kettle "want some?"

"Tea?" she asked making a face "what's wrong? You're sick?"

"No" she answered giggling "I drink tea"

"Since when?"

"Since Tara lived in England for five years and taught me to enjoy it" she sipped her beverage and sat facing the slayer

"You guys okay?" Buffy asked sensing her friend's down mood

"Yeah…we're fine" she answered quietly

"So what's the matter?" she raised an eyebrow "come on Red…you can't fool me" Willow giggled and sighed

"I don't know Buff…I have this…feeling" she looked at the blonde's eyes "something is not right"

"Oh God…you too?" Buffy asked with wide eyes

"What you mean?" Willow furrowed her brows

"Something is definitely in the air" she said cryptically "last night I woke up from a nightmare with this…feeling" she said gesticulating "Giles said that this morning Spike and Anya had this…"

"Feeling?" Willow asked frowning and Buffy nodded

"And now you…it's not good" she said shaking her head

"Definitely not good" she agreed and drank her tea "what do we do?"

"Wait" Buffy shrugged "we can't do anything until something actually happens" she stated simply "so we wait"

"Yeah" the witch nodded

"Hey…wanna hear something nice?" Buffy asked grinning happily

"Sure…what is it?" she asked smiling

"Faith said she loves me" she said with a bigger grin

"Oh my God!" Willow practically jumped from her seat "this is great…congratulations" she said hugging her friend

"Thanks… I mean I said it first, but…"

"She said it back" they said it together and laughed

"I know she meant it, Will" she said soberly "I'm so happy…yay"

Faith arrived home from work and decided to use the back door; entering through the backyard she spotted a very sad six-year-old girl curled in the swing; worried she moved to talk to her

"Hey kiddo" she tried tentatively but received something above a whisper

"Hi" the slayer got really worried. She dropped her backpack on the bench and knelt in front of the girl

"What's wrong?" she tried again and this time received just a shrug "hey you okay?"

"I don't know" the slayer moved forward and touched the girl's face

"Hey, come on baby girl…it's me, talk to me" she plead

"Something bad is going to happen" she said looking at the brunette

"What you mean? You had a dream?" she tried to get some information

"I can feel it…can't you?"

"A little" Faith nodded "did you talk to your mama about that?" the little blonde simply shook her head "why not?"

"It already got her" she said seriously

"What? What are you talking about?" she asked agitatedly

"Her heart…it's getting black" her eyes were teary "I can see it, Faith…she's not herself anymore" Faith stood up and rushed inside the house; she ran straight to the living room already calling

"Giles, we need to taaaalllll…k…" she stopped dead in her tracks and her jaw joined the other four on the floor; Tara was standing on the last step of the stairs wearing a pair of black leather pants and a black tank top, her hair hung loose all waived up and she was wearing heavy make up…she looked stunning; Willow, Buffy, Xander and Giles were staring mutely at her

"Holly crap!"


	11. Chapter 11

_Let me know what you think…_

_Enjoy,_

Part 11

"So you guys planning on catching some flies with your mouths hanging like that?" Tara said mockingly walking by her friends into the living room

"Tara…w…w…what…" Willow stuttered not able to put a sentence together

"Are those my pants?" Buffy asked furrowing her brows observing Tara's hips swaying in front of them

"Tara what's going on?" Giles asked concernedly

"What do you mean?" she asked moving to the mirror on the wall

"I think he meant your new…look" Xander answered gesturing toward her outfit

"Oh, that?" she said looking at her own body "I thought I could use a few changes…I was bored with the other...me" she turned and started applying some lipstick

"Are you planning on going somewhere?" Faith asked seriously

"As a matter of fact…I am" she replied giving final touches to her hair and make up

"Tara, what's happening to you?" Willow could finally find her voice again

"What are you talking about?" she asked annoyed "gee…I just wanna go out…I feel like dancing tonight" she lifted both arms and shook her hips from side to side in front of the redhead, leaning over and hugging her by the neck "wanna come baby?"

"Tara, this is not you…" Willow said coming out of the blonde's grasp "I don't know what's going on here…but I'm sure we can fix it"

"Fix what? Jesus, you're so dull sometimes" the blonde snapped annoyingly "you don't wanna come, fine don't…but don't try to spoil my fun" she said grabbing a black leather jacket

"What about your child? What about Ariel?" Giles asked cautiously as if fishing for the blonde's reaction

"What about her?" she answered in an unreadable tone

"Are you going out and leave your daughter here?" he insisted

"oh, she's fine…she has lot's of uncles and aunts to take care of her…plus her mommy is here" she lifted an eyebrow and smirked at the redhead "she can watch the kid…after all I didn't make her by myself, right baby?" she winked and left giggling

"Tara…" Willow tried to follow but Giles stopped her

"Let her" he said holding the witch

"But…" she tried to argue

"No…she'll be fine" he said firmly

"How can you say that?" she threw both arms in the air growing agitated "didn't you see her? She's not herself" she was in the verge of tears

"Yes, I saw her and despite whatever is happening she's still in full control of her functions and memories" he tried to calm the redhead

"What do you mean?" Willow asked confused

"I mean…she remembers her daughter, and you and your history together…she won't do anything stupid, besides she can defend herself" he said reasonably

"I'll say" Faith agreed touching her now healed eyebrow

"What we must do now is go to the magic box and try to find anything" Giles offered "an explanation maybe"

"Or a priest to perform an exorcism" Buffy said shrugging "she's clearly possessed"

"No…I don't think this is possession" Giles said removing his glasses

"What the hell do you think is happening then?" Willow asked angrily

"I have absolutely no idea"

A few hours later

"So Klaus…we are waiting, spill it" Buffy said leaning forward on her seat with her arms on her thighs; the blond man released a big sigh and looked at the group watching him closely

"Very well" he nodded "every individual is born with a mission we all have a reason to be here, a path traced for us to follow; but sometimes things can happen and change our fate, but those changes do not go without consequences; a single step can change one's Destiny" he said facing the group "six years ago Tara did something that altered her fate…she got pregnant"

"What does Ariel have to do with it?" Willow asked suspiciously

"She saved her mother's life" he answered simply "what do you know about the keepers?" he asked and received blank looks as an answer from the gang "okay…" he sighed and started pacing "the keepers are some sort of guardian angels; we help and protect the light by helping and protecting good souls" the gang was listening attentively "we are always watching over good people who have a difficult life, a rough childhood or who have suffered great losses…people who have every reason to become rebellion and walk out of the path of good…we guide them and guarantee that they fulfill their mission on the greater good"

"You just described Tara's life" Willow whispered softly

"Exactly…six years ago, Tara was supposed to become one of us"

"Become one of you?" Xander furrowed his brows in confusion "I thought you guys were born like…that" he said motioning to the figure standing in the middle of the room "or maybe come from another dimension or something"

"No…we all have been mortal once" he stated simply

"So, you choose someone using what…eanie meanie minie moe?" Buffy asked raising an eyebrow

"No…" he giggled at the blonde's antics "it's like you're chosen to be a slayer" he said looking at her "it's what you're destined to be"

"You said she was to become a keeper" Giles asked trying to understand "I don't quite understand that…how do you become a Keeper?"

"You die" he answered simply

"What?" Willow jumped from her seat

"You die" he continued calmly "usually young and not rarely, from a violent death"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Willow yelled angrily and charged into the man's direction but was stopped by Giles' firm grasp

"Willow calm down…let's hear what he has to say" he coax the redhead

"Thank you" he nodded to the watcher "like I said, her pregnancy altered Tara's fate…had she not gotten pregnant she would've stayed here…you two would've made up" he said gesturing to Willow who was breathing heavily "and then one day, when that boy, Warren, invaded your house to kill you" he said pointing to Buffy who turned to Faith who was looking at her wide eyed

"Yeah, he came through the back yard…" she shrugged and frowned "but the gun didn't go off"

"That's because when you change someone's fate you altered many others that are involved" he explained "he was going to shoot you and a stray bullet was going to travel to Willow's room, through the window, straight into Tara's heart…killing her instantly"

"I don't believe you" Willow whispered in tears

"I'm sorry Willow…I know it sounds cruel just saying it like this, but we don't have time to waste" he said sincerely

"So you're saying that the fact that Tara was not killed unbalanced this whole thing between good and evil?" Faith asked for confirmation

"Yes, evil saw this…twist of fate as an opportunity to seduce Tara…make her do something that would compromise her future as a Keeper"

"You mean they are forcing her to become evil?" Xander questioned

"No…they can't force her to do anything" he said shaking his head "it must be her choice"

"Then what's happening to her?" Buffy asked him

"For about six years, evil has been filling her heart with darkness" he informed

"Ariel said her heart is black" Faith said

"It's becoming" he nodded "we didn't realize what was happening until recently…it's this energy you all have been feeling" he ran a hand through his blond hair "it's not a demon, it's not a vampire…it's pure evil energy"

"So Tara is becoming evil?" Willow asked

"Not exactly" he answered and the redhead threw both arms in the air frustrated; he sighed and tried to explain "this…energy is lowering her boundaries, her notion of what's right or wrong…she's giving in to her dark side"

"She doesn't have a dark side" Willow tried to argue

"Everybody has a dark side" he shot back "she just never fed it…the problem is that with this darkness in her heart, she won't be able to distinguish what's good from what's bad…she will lose her limits and cross some lines" he started pacing again "it will start with small things like drinking or smoking going to drugs and sex"

"What?" Willow's eyes widened in shock

"Yeah…she will no longer hold the notion of monogamy…she will become…wild, sex just for the sex" Willow was hyperventilating nearly fainting "and it can get worse"

"How?" Xander asked doubting the possibility

"Stealing, hurting people…even killing" he finished sadly

"We gotta find her" Faith said jumping to her feet

"We must bring her here and keep an eye on her" Giles said putting on his coat

"More important, we have to revert this" Klaus pointed out

"Yes…of course" Giles nodded "how?" everybody turned to the blond Keeper

"I have no idea" he shrugged "it never happened before"

"Great" the gang muttered and left the shop


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12

The gang split up in two groups with Giles, Willow and Xander looking for Tara in more obvious places like The Bronze, while Buffy and Faith searched for the blonde on the hardcore part of the city

"I don't even want to ask how you know about these places" Buffy said making a disgusting face

"Trust me you don't wanna know" the brunette answered shaking her head making her girlfriend roll her eyes "okay, B…go check that one" she said pointing to a bad looking bar on the corner "I'll look in here"

Faith walked in and saw a typical small town bar, one of those that you only find in bad neighborhood; inside, there were ugly hairy men, bikers and lots of tough women

"Nice place" she muttered under her breath; walking further in, she spotted a familiar blonde face near the pool table; Tara was holding the cue and gulping a shot of tequila. The brunette slayer raised a brow and sighed worried; she saw the woman next to the blonde lean and whisper something in her ear that made the witch throw her head back and release a big laugh. Faith frowned and decided to approach them

"Hey" she practically shouted because of the loud music "I don't think this is the right place for you" she said lifting a challenging eyebrow to the woman standing next to Tara

"Really?" the blonde witch turned with a smirk on her face "I think you're wrong" she got two glasses of tequila from the waitress' tray "it's just fine" she raised her glass and downed the drink popping her lips afterwards "here, have one" she offered the other glass to the slayer

"No, thanks" she answered sternly "come on, let's go home"

"Don't want to" she said and leaned over the table to shoot the ball

"Come on, T…don't be like that" she tried to reasoned the blonde "that's not you" Tara sighed and tossed the cue on the table

"Oh, Faith…when have you become so square?" she put her hands on her hips and smirked; the brunette slayer took a calming breath and ran both hands through her hair

"Everybody is worried about you" she said calmly

"They'll be fine" she said waving a hand dismissively "come on let's dance" she said taking the slayer's hands

"Don't" Faith tried to fight but Tara moved behind her wrapping her arms around the slayer's waist, pressing her body into hers, grinding her hips against her in rhythm with the music. The brunette's body stiffened but Tara moved her hips, slowly, sensually from side to side, her hands releasing their grip on her, and sliding so they were on either side of the slayer's hips.

Buffy chose this moment to walk inside the bar, her eyes searching for the two familiar faces, when she spotted them her eyes widened

"oh,oh,oh…" she said making a face that mixed shock and anger, she then saw Tara leaning over Faith's ear

"Remember when you took me out on that date" she whispered seductively

"Tara, stop it" Faith tried to move only to be pulled closer again, this time her back was pinned to Tara's front

"You got me all…wet" she continued in a low sensual voice "and then you whispered in my ear 'make love to me'" she nibbled the brunette's earlobe

"Tara…stop it" Faith swallowed dryly "you don't know what you're doing…let's go home" she pled; Tara moved and turned the slayer around in her arms

"Come on, Faith…take me" Buffy who had been using her slayer hearing to get the conversation felt her blood boil

"Oh…that's it" she approached the couple and yanked Faith by the arm "can I see you for a second?" the brunette still seemed a little disorientated "what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to take her home" she said trying to compose herself

"I don't think she'll go voluntarily" Buffy barked opening her arms dramatically

"What do you want me to do? Knock her out?"

"Hell…yeah" Buffy said crossing her arms in front of her chest

"I can't hit Tara" Faith answered in a shocked tone

"Well…I can" the blonde slayer said making a gesture as if she were rolling up her sleeves

"Buffy…"

"Hey…crazy bitch" she shouted and Tara turned with a bored look on her face and a finger pointing to her own chest "yeah, you…let's go home, your daughter and your soon to be wife are waiting for you"

"Nope" she said and turned around

"oh…you're so coming with us" Buffy grabbed Tara's wrist and turned her around she jerked her arm and shoved Buffy who recovered and charged forward slapping her on the face and making her lose her balance; the slayer then got closer and hit her on the neck, the witch fell down unconscious; Buffy sighed, straightened up and looked at her girlfriend

"Little hand here?" Faith shook her head as if not believing what she just saw; she moved closer and stopped at Tara's right side

"you're going to explain that to Red" she said pointing to the passed out blonde; they both lifted Tara to her feet, and carried her out, one supporting each of her arms "crazy bitch?" Faith asked smirking

At the Summers' house

"Any word from the girls?" Giles asked to a pacing redhead, Willow shook her head and was about to comment when the door burst open and the slayers entered dragging an unconscious Tara

"Oh my God" she rushed to meet the group "what happened?"

"Put her on the couch" Giles guided them

"She wasn't cooperating" Buffy said laying the witch carefully

"You hit her?" Willow's eyes widened and she looked accusatively to Faith who lifted both hands in a surrender manner and pointed to Buffy; Willow's jaw dropped and she looked astonished to her best friend

"That was the only way to stop her before she screwed someone right there in the middle of the bar" she said defensively

"What?" Willow felt her head spinning

"She was being difficult" Faith tried to sugar pill the situation "but she is fine…she'll be out for a few hours though"

"What do we do now?" Xander asked

"We can lock her in the basement until we find some kind of exorcism ritual" Anya offered nonchalantly

"Nobody is locking Tara anywhere" Willow snapped upset "come Giles…help me take her upstairs" the watcher lifted her gently in his arms and followed the redhead upstairs

"Where is Joan?" Xander questioned his wife

"Upstairs in Ariel's room…they're both sleeping soundly"

"Come on…I want to give her a kiss" he held Anya's hand and went upstairs

Faith turned around and saw her girlfriend retreating silently to the kitchen, she knew the blonde was upset and decided to investigate; leaning on the doorframe, she saw the pissed slayer ripping the paper of a candy bar and biting it angrily

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Dunno" Buffy answered shrugging "wouldn't you rather be making out with your ex girlfriend" Faith bit the inside of her cheek and nodded, she then stood straight and walked carefully inside the kitchen

"First, I wasn't making out with her" she stood in front of the blonde smirking "second, do I sense a little jealousy here?"

"Fuck you, Faith" Buffy snarled and darted to the door but the brunette grabbed her arm

"B, wait…I'm sorry" she pled but the blonde drew her arm "talk to me" Faith tried again but only received a head shake "come on baby, I'm trying here…you know I'm terrible at this sensitive chatting thing" Buffy looked at her eyes "help me out, okay?"

"Fine" the blonde sighed

"Fine…great…okay…uh…what's up?" the blonde shook her head and ran both hands through her hair

"You still have feelings for Tara" she stated seriously, the brunette narrowed her eyes considering how to respond to that

"Well…I love her, that's true" she said nodding "Tara is a VIP in my life…in three years she taught me more about honesty and integrity and respect for the others than I had ever learned in my entire life…she's a magnificent woman and a true friend" she locked eyes with the blonde and moved closer "but that's it…I love her, but I'm not in love with her…I'm in love with you" she used her thumb to dry a tear on the blonde's face "look B, I may not be the most romantic girlfriend and I know I have a history of being a jerk, but trust me cause I don't say it very often…you are all that I want, I'm happy with you and I hope that I'm able to make you feel the same way"

"You're making me fall for you all over again" Buffy said sniffing and smiling

"Good, cause that's my master plan" Faith said hugging her girlfriend tightly

"Who are you and what have you done to the rogue slayer I met in high school?" Buffy asked playfully and got a laugh and a passionate kiss as an answer


	13. Chapter 13

Part 13

Tara began to stir in bed; she felt her body aching and her muscles sore; she slowly opened her eyes and felt her head throbbing

"What the fuck?" she winced and used her hand to massage her neck and shoulders; turning to the side she was startled by a pair of sad blue eyes staring at her

"Morning mama" the little girl whispered quietly; the blonde witch groaned and rolled over in order to get up

"What time is it?" she asked crankily

"It's late…you slept the whole day" she informed sweetly "the sun has set already"

"Fuck" she mumbled "explain the sore muscles" the door opened and a redhead witch walked inside

"Hey you're awake" she said hopefully, expecting her soul mate to be back to normal

"Yeah…that pathetic excuse of a slayer hit me pretty hard" she said rolling her head and shoulders making Willow's hopes fly out of the window "I'll break that bitch's face"

"Tara…" Willow reprimand

"What?" she barked annoyed and saw the witch nodding to their child's direction "whatever" she shrugged and moved to the bathroom

Willow ducked her head and covered her face with both hands in a exasperation manner, she then felt a pair of arms hug her legs tightly; she sighed and knelt in front of her daughter; she locked eyes with the little blonde and smoothed her hair

"It's ok baby girl…we'll bring her back, I promise" she swore and the little girl nodded "now, why don't you go downstairs be with your grandpa, huh?"

"Okay" she agreed and left the room. The moment the door closed, Tara came out of the bathroom taking her top off, Willow watched her fussing in her drawer and picking up a clean onyx ribbed v-neck tank

"Are you going out?" Willow asked tentatively

"Yeah…I'm starving" she answered putting the new top on

"We have food…all kinds of goody-goody yummy edible stuff" the blonde applied some lipstick and turned to her

"I need fresh air" she grabbed her coat and left the room

Downstairs the gang was all together in the living room

"So what do we do now?" Xander asked "how do we prevent her from going out?"

"You don't" Spike said coming from the kitchen "any attempt to lock Blondie here will just make her become more rebellion"

"You should know what you're talking about" Xander teased

"I've always been a bad boy" he sneered at him

"Spike has a point…we can't simply lock her in the basement" Giles offered

"You betcha" Tara said coming down the stairs "try something stupid like hitting me again" she glared at Buffy "and I'll show you what I'm capable of"

"And what are you going to do?" Buffy stood up squaring her shoulders "turn me into a toad?"

"That's not a bad idea" Tara charged in the slayer's direction

"Hey, hey…whoa" Faith said jumping between the blondes "you two need a time out"

"She's right…there will be no transformation of any kind" Giles scolded in a fatherly tone; Willow came downstairs and watched the interaction from the last step

"Tara, please" she said touching softly the blonde's arm "we are not the enemy…we just want to help you"

"Help me with what?" the blonde snapped "I'm fine…I've never felt so free in my entire life"

"Tara you don't know what's happening to you…you're not yourself" Giles tried to argue

"Look…you can all stay here and debate your…fantastic theories" she waved a hand at them "but I have better things to do, so…seeya" she turned and walked out of the front door

"Tara…" Willow called but it was too late

"Don't worry…I'll follow her" Spike offered "I'll keep an eye on her"

"Here" Faith tossed him her cell phone "call us in case of 911" he nodded and left after the blonde leaving the gang exchanging worried glances and sighs

Tara walked along the dark streets of Sunnydale, she didn't have a specific destination she was just wandering around and enjoying the feeling of freedom, but she could sense somebody on her tow

"Why are you following me Spike?" she asked without turning around

"Well…I thought I should hang with the likes of me" he answered cynically

"I'm not like you" she answered resuming her walking

"Oh…I beg to differ" he smirked and offered her a cigarette "let's see…you'd rather be out here roaming alone in old dangerous Sunnydale than stay at the house with that bunch of losers" he said lighting up her cigarette

"What's with you Spike?" she asked dragging and puffing the smoke out "did you wake up chatty today?"

"No…I just like your new…you" he smirked and checked her out; she released a throaty laugh

"Come on…let's have some fun" she offered and went looking for trouble

A couple of hours later the gang was still in the Summer's living room engrossed in research when Buffy's cell phone rang

"Hello" she answered iding Faith's number

"_I think you would consider this a 911" _Spike announced from the other side of the line

"Where are you?" she asked jumping to her feet making the gang get into alert mode "I'll be right there" she hung up and turned to the others

"Let's go" in a flash, Willow, Xander, Giles and the slayers were out of the house and inside the car

No longer than ten minutes latter they pulled over at the address Spike had given them; when they got out of the car their eyes went wide at the sight of Tara fighting four demons at the same time; Buffy and Faith charged forward immediately in order to help the blonde, the others ran to help Spike who was fighting a strong male vampire and two female ones at the same time; together they dusted all three of them

"Spike what happened?" Giles inquired

"Well…me and bird were minding our own business when she saw that bunch threatening the little boy over there" he pointed to a small boy and a woman crouching trying to hide behind a dumpster "she suddenly moved into their direction and started beating the tar out of them" he explained "the problem is that there is a demon bar right on the corner and the next thing I saw it was raining demons"

"Alleluia" Xander joked and received annoyed glares from the other three

"So you're saying that she jumped to protect the little boy?" Giles tried to understand

"hum-hum…that's correct" the blond vampire nodded

"What is it Giles?" Willow asked sensing that the watcher was up to something

"I think we might have a chance to bring her back" he answered cryptically and watched Tara, Buffy and Faith chase the demons away and help the little boy and his shaken mother to their feet


	14. Chapter 14

Part 14

The gang was all together in the Summer's living room

"So Giles, what's the big plan?" Xander asked stuffing a hand full of popcorn in his mouth

"Yes…uh, very well" Giles stood up and looked around hesitantly "where's Tara?"

"Resting" Willow answered despondently "she was pretty beaten after the fight"

"That's because she might have bitched out, but she's still human" Buffy offered with a mouth full of popcorn, then took a big a gulp on her coke "she got pretty wasted from fighting those demons" she concluded

"I don't get it" Xander shook his head confused "why didn't she use magic to fight them?"

"Because Tara's powers come from white magic" explained Giles "and as she is under the influence of evil…"

"To use her powers, she would have to channel dark magic" Willow concluded his line of thought

"Precisely" he nodded

"So she chose not to?" Faith asked furrowing her brows

"That's what I believe" Giles answered nodding again "despite her weird behavior, part of Tara is still resisting the darkness"

"So you think we can somehow stimulate this part…" Willow clarified understanding where he was going

"Uh-huh" he nodded positively

"But how?" the redhead asked lifting an intrigued eyebrow

"Well…" he removed his glasses and started pacing "the fact that she jumped into a direct confrontation with a group of demons just to protect a little boy made me think" he explained gesticulating like a teacher giving a lecture "if she did that to protect a stranger, what would she be capable of to protect someone she loved?" he stopped and looked at the group's faces watching their reaction

"Are you planning on staking Willow out as a sacrificial lamb?" Anya blurted out

"What?" Buffy and Xander shouted at the same time and looked at a very shocked redhead

"No" Giles shouted indignantly "there will be no staking out or…or sacrifice for that matter"

"But you're planning on using me as bait, aren't you?" Willow asked suspiciously

"Not you…" he ducked his head and tucked his glasses back on "Ariel"

"You have got to be kidding" Faith practically jumped from her seat and stood next to a wide eyed redhead

"Come on, Giles in name of everything that's sane and rational I have to ask" Xander asked pausing for dramatic effect "have you lost your mind?" the older man sighed and rubbed his forehead nervously

"I assure you it will be perfectly safe" he stopped and looked directed at Willow's eyes "I would never risk my granddaughter's safety…but we have to shake Tara to the core"

"Then use Red" Faith threw both arms in the air "she's her soul mate, isn't she?"

"I know Willow holds Tara's heart" he offered looking at a teary redhead "but …there's no greater love than the love of a mother protecting her child"

"That would be her ultimate choice" a voice came from nowhere startling the gang; soon after, a glowing light appeared revealing the keeper "are you aware of the risks?"

"Risks…what risks?" Willow looked frantically between Giles and Klaus

"Testing her love for her child, would be considered the final step of Tara's transformation" explained the blond man "if she chooses to ignore her daughter's safety, there will be no turning back for her"

"What is he talking about, Giles?" Buffy asked exasperatedly; she was as confused as everybody else

"Tara will be placed before a choice" informed her former watcher "she can either choose to walk the path of light or the path of darkness…if she saves Ariel"

"She will get back to normal" Willow completed and Giles nodded

"If not…" Xander questioned

"We lose her forever" Giles answered sadly and turned to look at Willow once again "it's up to you Willow" he said directly to the redhead "Ariel is your child, Tara is your future wife…it's your decision" Willow was feeling lightheaded; the future of her family lay on her hands now; she looked around and saw her friends looking at her expectantly; she was the one calling the shots

"You guarantee Ariel won't be in any real danger?" she asked; her breathing was elaborated her chest was heavy

"I promise" Giles crossed his heart "we'll plan it very carefully"

"We could lose Tara forever" she considered aloud felling her heart sink to the sound of her own words

"Part of her is already gone" Klaus said gently

"We can do it, Will" Buffy came closer and touched her friend's arm "we are a family, remember?" the redhead looked upset

"We are together" Xander said joining his two best friends "the Scooby gang" he offered good-naturedly, producing a sad smile on the redhead's face. She looked around and saw the support and strength she needed in her friends' faces, she released a big sigh and nodded

"Let's do it" she stated firmly

A few hours later it was pretty late and the house was very quiet, Giles entered the kitchen for a glass of water and saw a dim light coming from the living room; worried, he decided to check who would be up that late in the night. He entered the room very quietly and saw Willow sitting on the couch, a small table lamp lightening the room enough for him to see that she was crying

"Willow, are you alright?" he asked concerned

"Honestly?" she asked sniffing "I'm lost and confused"

"Would you like to talk about it?" he offered honestly, she nodded and dried some tears; he sat next to her and listened carefully

"I feel like my spirit is dying" she looked at him and saw that she had his full attention "I know I can trust you guys and that you'd rather die than let any harm happen to Ariel or me…but I'm scared, cause I'm not so sure about Tara anymore, I mean, she's different and not herself right now…what if" she sighed as if gathering strength to voice her thoughts "what if she chooses darkness? What if she chooses to ignore Ariel? We'll loose her, Giles…I'll loose her" tears were cascading down the redhead's face she was about to collapse "I can't lose her…not again…I can't live without her" she fell into the watcher's arms sobbing uncontrollably

"Shh…it's ok" he tried to sooth her "everything is going to be okay…we'll bring her back, I promise" he rocked her back and forth until she cried herself to sleep unaware of the invisible presence watching over them

"Do you think she'll take it?" Klaus asked to an older keeper standing next to him

"Yes, she will…she's a fighter" he answered softly

"But you remember what was bound to happen if Tara had died six years ago, don't you?" Klaus asked concernedly

"Things are going to be different now…it's Tara's Destiny"

"I just feel sorry for them" the blond keeper looked sympathetically for the two people asleep on the couch


	15. Chapter 15

_Okay guys,_

_Hold your breath 'cause things are about to get ugly…_

_Feedback please!_

Part 15

"Okay sweetheart, did you understand everything I told you?" Giles asked to a very focused Ariel; the little girl nodded vehemently

"Yes grandpa…we will do it to save mama" she said sweetly

"Great, now one more time…what are you going to do?"

"I'll pretend to be under the attack of two demons, so mama would think I am in danger and come to save me" she repeated

"And will you be in danger?" he asked and she shook her head

"No…cause there will be no demons" she answered surely "it will only be you and Xander…mommy is going to put a spell on you so you look like real demons to trick mama"

"Very good…" Faith complimented the little blonde "and what will happen if real demons show up?"

"You and Buffy are going to kick their sorry ass" she said enthusiastically making Willow and Buffy roll their eyes

"Oh yeah" Faith said high-fiving the girl and chuckling when Giles shook his head in disapproval

"Right…uh…question" Xander asked raising his hand "what about plan B?"

"What do you mean?" Willow asked furrowing her brows

"You know…we are hopeful and all…I'm particularly excited about having my butt kicked and everything, but…" he sighed "what if she doesn't do it? What if she simply turn and leave? What do we do?" he asked seriously making the gang exchange worried glances

"We improvise" the redhead answered sternly

"Good…I'm all for improvisation…yay" he answered faking a cheering gesture

"Where is she now?" Anya asked cradling little Joan

"Spike is keeping an eye on her" Buffy answered "we'll call him when we are ready"

Across town, Spike was hiding in the shadows observing Tara from afar; he took out a cell phone and dialed a familiar number

"I think you'd better hurry" he said seriously

"_What's going on?"_

"Trouble…big time" he answered cryptically

Five minutes later Buffy's SUV parked near a spot Spike had indicated

"Here we are" Buffy approached the vampire "what happened?"

"That" he said pointing to Tara talking to a bad crowed

"Who are they?" Buffy asked furrowing her brows

"Drug dealers" he answered frowning at the gang across the street

"Shit" Faith barked "did she take any?"

"I can't really say" the blond vampire shook his head "why?"

"Cause some drugs are hallucinogens" she answered worried "it can mess the whole plan"

"She won't be able to distinguish reality from hallucinations" Buffy confirmed

"What do we do now?" Faith asked "should we stop Red?"

"Uh…too late for that" Spike said nodding at Tara who was moving direct to where Willow and the others were in position to put the plan in action

"Fuck" the slayers and Spike ran towards the group being careful to stay out of sight

The group saw Tara approaching and each one took their right position

"Okay Willow…here she comes" Giles said and stood next to Xander facing the redhead and Ariel "hurry…the spell"

"**_Blind Cadria, desolate Queen, allow that witch to see what isn't there to be seen" _**

Tara approached the group and frowned in confusion, her mind wasn't clear, she couldn't focus but she saw Willow and Ariel next to what seemed to be a couple of demons; she stopped next to them, cocked her head to side and watched the scene as if she were watching a movie, that wasn't real, it was part of her trip from the drug she had taken

"Ariel...now sweetie" Giles guided and the little girl screamed to the top of her lungs; Tara squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, she opened them and saw the demon hitting Willow sending her to the floor; she stared off in front of her looking blank

"What is she doing?" Buffy whispered from behind a wall

"Nothing" Spike replied dryly

"We've got to do something" Xander whispered "it's not working" Giles moved forward and grabbed Ariel, lifting her up

"Okay, angel...kick and scream" the little blonde did as she was told and Tara started panting; Willow stood up and moved toward Xander faking an attack

"Hit me, Xander" she commanded

"What?" he asked confused

"She's almost there" she explained "we've got to push her over" he nodded and shoved Willow backwards, she fell at Tara's feet

"Tara, baby" she called in an Oscar winning performance "you've got to save our child" she begged and pretended to fall unconscious. Tara looked a little anxious as she saw Willow lying there; she watched the demon carrying Ariel

"MAMA…" she heard the child scream. The blonde witch could feel her head spinning; images of her life with Willow started flashing in her mind; she saw the two of them together in college, their happy moments, their child, she looked conflicted…she saw herself giving birth; she could feel the pain again, she lifted her head and turned to look at her daughter; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, when she opened them again she was wearing her resolved face; she ran forward, kicked the demon's leg and raised her hand

"Repel" she ordered and an invisible force shoved him against the wall

"Mama" Ariel ran to her direction and she knelt in front of her child

"Baby girl…are you okay?" she hugged the girl and kissed her all over the face

"I am now" the little girl smiled happily "you're back…your heart is pure again"

"What…I don't understand" she looked around and saw Willow standing up and Buffy, Faith and Spike coming out from their hidden place; she looked at the demons and saw only Xander helping Giles to his feet

"What's going?" she asked confused

"We found you, baby" the redhead said offering a hand "we brought you back" she pulled the blonde into a soul-searing kiss

One year later

"Okay…explain to me again" Jason asked while putting on a pair of latex gloves

"Right…Ariel was magically conceived" Dawn informed "they bought some crystals and Tara got accidentally pregnant"

"Very well…what about this one?" he asked pointing to a witch in labor

"Artificial insemination" she smirked and turned to a screaming witch

"Oh my god, oh my god…here comes another one" yelled a frantic redhead

"Okay, Willow breath" said the youngest Summers

"Yeah, sweetie…be calm, specially because I'm the one in pain…augh!" Tara moved forward wincing and clenching her teeth

"Willow's egg, Tara's womb" Dawn smiled cynically to her fiancé

"Oh God..." Tara cried with a painful expression on her face "Jason, something isn't right" she fell back against the bed panting, her hair was damp with sweat; the young doctor moved forward and examined her; after a quick check he called the nurses

"Prepare the OR…she will need an emergency C-section" he said sternly

"What…no…no" Willow said agitatedly "y-you can't operate her"

"Willow, if I don't we'll lose the baby" he informed

"b-but…Tara" she was crying; Tara sat up and took the redhead's hand

"It will be okay" she whispered softly and pulled her wife closer kissing her lips "everything is going to be fine"

"I love you Tara" she felt her heart sank; she had a very bad feeling running through her body

"I love you too" the blonde said and saw a white robed blond man smiling at her, she closed her eyes and lay in the hospital bed feeling her body being rolled along the hospital corridors

"It's alright my child…it's your Destiny" she heard the soft voice whispering in her ear right before the darkness engulfed her


	16. Chapter 16

_Alright people,_

_Grab the tissues and don't hate me cause I'll fix it…I promise_

_Next chapter conclusion!!!_

_Feedback, please…but be gentle!!!_

Part 16

Jason came around the corner and saw the waiting room where Willow, Dawn and the rest of the gang were gathered; he took off his surgical cap and approached the group

"Jason" Dawn jumped from her seat and rushed to meet him followed by the others

"So…say something" Willow asked nervously

"You have a very healthy baby girl" he said without much enthusiasm

"Oh my God" Willow jumped excited "did you hear that sweetie?" she asked to her daughter who was in Giles arms "you have a baby sister…yay" she grinned and turned expectantly to the young doctor "how's Tara?"

He scanned the group watching them very carefully

"What is it?" Buffy asked sensing that something wasn't right; the doctor just lowered his eyes

"Jason, where is Tara?" Dawn asked stroking his arm softly; he closed his eyes and took a deep breath

"There were complications" he said and the group gasped bracing themselves for the bad news

"What do you mean by complications?" Willow questioned starting to feel lightheaded

"She had a massive bleeding" he informed and felt Dawn grip his hand tightly "we tried everything we could to control it" he looked around and saw Giles holding Ariel's head against his shoulder, he was crying; Anya was cradling her baby, she lowered her head to Xander's shoulder both were crying. Buffy and Faith were holding each other up; Faith had one hand over her face, sobbing; realization had hit them "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry" he hugged Dawn and she cried on his shoulder

"What…sorry for what?" Willow looked confused; she looked frantically to her friends, she couldn't understand why everybody was crying; she felt her head spin "wh…what is he talking about?" she was getting desperate "where is Tara?"

"Willow" Buffy came forward whispering sympathetically knowing that her friend was in denial

"No…no…no…NO" Willow began to cry "come on" she looked agitatedly to her friends "where is she?" she grabbed Jason's scrub; she was breathing heavily

"She died, Willow" he finally voiced it

"No!!!" she shouted and pushed him angrily "I don't believe it…you're lying" she was sobbing uncontrollably; Xander moved forward and held her; she struggled against his grasp and started hitting him with her fists "he's lying…he's lying" they fell to their knees both crying "it's not true…it's not…it's not" Buffy came closer, knelt with them and put her arms around her friends; the Scoobies sobbed together

Sunnydale's graveyard

The next day two figures watched from afar a devastated group of people standing around the coffin that carried the body of a beloved one

"She looks so sad" Tara said looking directly to Willow and Ariel standing together holding hands listening to the minister's words

"She will be fine" Klaus answered softly

"How can you be so sure?" she asked dryly without taking her eyes of her family; she saw Buffy put her arm around Faith's waist, the brunette looked angry; Giles was behind them looking desolate; Anya was holding Xander's arm and Dawn was leaning against Jason's shoulder; she even saw Spike hiding under the shade of a tree protecting against the sun light

"Cause you'll be watching over her" the Keeper said and she snapped her head to look at him

"What about Willow?" she asked feeling tears sting her eyes

"Willow is strong" he answered "she'll raise both of your children beautifully…they will grow into fine young women"

"I can't go now" she was crying "Lara is just an infant" she said referring to her newborn daughter "she needs me"

"you will be taking care of your family, Tara…" he said trying to calm the blonde "you will be at their side every step of the way…I promise you… you'll guide and protect them as you will guide and protect so many other people that will need your wisdom, your generosity and every other quality that had turned you into a Keeper" she shook her head and sobbed "I know it's hard to leave your beloved ones behind, but you must fulfill your fate…you must be there to protect the light and prevent so many good souls to stray out of the path of the greater good…you must become a Keeper…that's your Destiny" Tara nodded in agreement, she knew this had to be done; releasing a big sigh the new Keeper lifted her head and turned to watch her family again; she looked at her wife, the redhead was staring at the coffin, her cheeks were glistering because of the tears rolling down her face, she was grieving; Tara's eyes left the witch and started descend to her oldest daughter; the minute her gaze fell on Ariel they locked eyes, the little blonde was looking directly at her

"She can see me" she whispered amazed

"Yes, she can" Klaus replied watching the interaction between the blondes; he saw the biggest grins he had ever seen break into their features, mother and daughter smiled at each other

16 years later

"This way" two teenage girls were running around the cemetery "he's getting away"

"No, he's not" the redhead girl answered and flipped twice trying to corner the vampire

"Behind you" the brunette one shouted "duck…" she warned and fired a crossbow hitting the vamp and dusting him "yeah…that's right" she shouted triumphantly "I'm Joan, the vampire slayer"

"You wish" the redhead replied getting up and cleaning the dirty from her clothes "it's gonna be…Lara, the vampire slayer"

"I don't think so, Red" Joan said in a challenging tone "I'm the one perfect for the job"

"Oh, really?" Lara said straightening up in front of the brunette "why don't we test that theory"

"Bring it on" Joan replied opening her arms and calling her for a fight; suddenly two pair of hands held the girls grabbing each of them by the hair and pulling them to opposite directions

"Oh, no you don't…it's shower time for you"

"Oh, Faith" both girls whined in unison

"Don't 'oh, Faith' me" the now mature brunette slayer replied "shower now…" the girls obeyed muttering under their breathes

"And you, miss Maclay-Rosenberg" Buffy called to the retreating redhead "next time you get into a fight in school, I won't bail you out" she warned seriously "I'll let your mommy go get you…clear?" she smiled wickedly when the girl flinched

"Yes, Buffy" she sighed and walked after Joan

"Do you think Anya is ever going to figure that Xander is Lara's father?" Faith asked smirking

"Dunno" Buffy shrugged and shook her head "for an 1100 year-old ex-demon she's not very perceptive, is she?"

"Nope" Faith shook her head "I mean, apart from the red hair, the girls are the spitting image of each other"

"Boy…I'm tired" Buffy said stretching her back and dropping onto a log on the floor "I need some time off…I'm getting too old for this shit"

"Don't worry" Faith said sitting next to the blonde "you'll be retiring pretty soon…I mean 'we' will be retiring pretty soon" she smiled at the blonde "tomorrow after Ariel performs her 'hocus pocus' one of the girls will be activated" she said pointing with her thumb to where Joan and Lara had disappeared

"Do you think Ariel's spell is going to work?"

"Yeah…kid is powerful" Faith answered confidently "I'm just surprised that Red is going to let her do it by herself"

"Willow thinks she's ready…" Buffy explained "I can't wait to be replaced…we are officially the oldest slayers of all time" she said smiling at the brunette "I don't think any previous slayer had survived this long"

"That's because we have each other" Faith answered softly "so what are you going to do with your free time?"

"Well…I thought we could travel…Greece, Asia, Hawaii…what do you say?" she looked expectantly to the brunette

"I think they're perfect for a honeymoon" she answered without looking at the blonde

"What???" Buffy's head snapped and she looked at her girlfriend "Faith, I'm over 40, don't toy with me"

"I'm not" Faith looked at her, stood up and got down on one knee "Buffy Summers, will you marry me?"

"It took you 17 years to propose???" Buffy asked teasingly

"Yeah…what can I say…I'm a little slow" she smirked cynically

"I love you" Buffy declared seriously

"Is that a 'yes'?" Faith asked expectantly and almost didn't catch the flying blonde that landed in her arms initiating a very hot make out section on the ground of Sunnydale's graveyard

In one of the dorms at UC Sunnydale, a blonde young woman was sitting cross-legged, her eyes were closed and her hands resting on her knees; she had some candles lit and some incense sticks burning; suddenly a big grin formed on her face

"Hi mama" Ariel said without opening her eyes; she always sensed her mother's presence

"Hi sweetie…how are you?" Tara was standing behind her daughter with a sweet smile on her lips

"Nervous" Ariel answered and turned to look at her mother. The Keeper was wearing a white rob, her straight hair hanging loose and she had a serene expression on her face "I don't think I can do it mama" she said and stood up "this is huge" she started pacing nervously, her babbling taking over "it requires a great deal of concentration, I don't know if I'm ready, mommy thinks I am though…she keeps saying that I'm powerful and that I'm special and that I'm capable of anything cause I come from you guys and that I had learned everything…b-but what if I fail… what if by accident I turn one of them into…into a giant snake or something? I don't think they would like that very much, would they?" she finished trying to catch her breath; Tara moved forward and caressed the young blonde's face

"Everything is going to be alright" she said softly "your mommy is right…you are a very powerful witch, you learned how to control your powers and how to get focused…Willow taught you everything you had to know" she took her daughter's hands in hers and said softly "you had a great teacher"

"I had two great teachers" she whispered and squeezed her hands softly "you gave me the basics of moral and ethics" she moved forward and hugged her mom "I miss you mama, I wish you were here"

"I am here honey…I've always been here" Tara whispered in her ear

"I know, but…" she broke the embrace and sighed "you know what I mean…I feel sorry for Lara…she misses you although she never met you"

"I wish I had been part of her life" she confessed sadly "but Willow did a great job"

"Yes, she did" Ariel agreed "but I think it's a miracle that we turned out sane, because sometimes she almost drove us crazy with her over-protectiveness" she and Tara chuckled knowing that it was true "but we love her"

"I know…" she smiled softly "you've never told her that you could see me, have you?"

"No…" she shook her head "it would hurt her"

"You are an incredible woman" Tara complimented her proudly "you have a golden heart"

"I got that from you" she said making both of them blush. Tara took her daughter's hand and guided her to the bed

"Rest now, baby girl…you have a huge spell to perform tomorrow" she said tucking her child in "you'll need your strength"

"Thank you mama…you always put my heart at ease" she said snuggling against a giant Ted bear; Tara leaned and planted a soft kiss on her forehead

"That's what I'm here for" she smiled sweetly at her 23-year-old daughter "goodnight angel"

"Mama?" Ariel called

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?" she asked sheepishly making Tara lift a suspicious eyebrow "which of them is the new slayer?" Tara laughed at her puppy dog's expression

"Goodnight Ariel…" she shook her head and disappeared in a bright white light


	17. Chapter 17

Part 17

Willow walked out of the house and stopped at the front porch where a very upset teenage redhead was sitting on the step with her head bent and fussing with the dirty

"Hey, what are you doing sitting here by yourself?" she asked softly

"Self pitying" she answered despondently "I can't believe Joan is the slayer" she complained and threw a small rock across the street "I'm good for nothing"

"Hey…watch your mouth, this is my daughter you're talking about" Willow scolded playfully and sat next to the girl "and I don't let anyone say anything bad about her"

"I'm a screw up, mom"

"Why are you saying that, honey?" she asked furrowing her brows trying to understand why her daughter was so distressed

"because…" she sighed "let's face it, mom…I'll never be as good as Ariel…my only hope was that I'd be the chosen one to be the new slayer, but not even this" she shook her head sadly "I'm nothing"

"Don't say that" Willow warned seriously "you're a witch, a very powerful one"

"Please" she snorted and rolled her eyes "I can barely perform a conjuring spell"

"sweetie, when I was your age I had trouble levitating a pencil…my potions always came up…soup" she smiled and wrinkled her nose "I sucked"

"What happened?" the teenager lifted a curious eyebrow

"I met your mother" she answered simply "Tara taught me everything about magic, she gave me focus…she was amazing" she had a dreamy look on her face, her eyes always shone when she talked about her soul mate "and if she were here she would not let you beat yourself up like that…she would say that your power comes from your heart, you just have to access it" she locked eyes with her teenage child and spoke sincerely "if you think you're not as powerful as your sister double your efforts then, be twice as dedicate as she is...study harder…but don't you think being a slayer is a gift, cause it's not" she shook her head firmly "it's a heavy burden and Joan is gonna need you by her side just like Buffy needed me and Xander" she took her daughter's hand "you're gonna have to be there for her" the younger redhead sighed and squeezed her mother's hand softly

"I wish I had met my mama" she said softly "the way you talk about her makes her seem so special"

"Because she is" Willow whispered feeling tears forming behind her eyes "she owns my heart and soul"

"That's why you never married again?"

"Probably…you know I have relationships…not deep ones, basically…"

"Okay, mom" she interrupted closing her eyes and waving her hands "I know you have sex…and may I say…ewww !!!" she made a disgusting face and shook her head making her mother giggle "but the question is…" she sighed as if gathering strength to ask "have you ever blamed me for her death?"

"What???" Willow practically shouted from surprise "no…never…do you here me? Never" she stated firmly and sighed "sweetie look at me" she put her fingers under the girl's chin and waited until they made eye contact "you're a precious gift Tara gave me…it's like she couldn't have gone without leaving me a farewell present…she was a very considering lady" she smiled at her daughter "I miss her, I miss her everyday and when I look at Ariel…it's like I'm looking at her all over again"

"Like grandpa says: the resemblance is remarkable" she said in a fake British accent making Willow laugh

"That's right" she said nodding "but that doesn't mean I love her more than I love you…you're my little princess" she said smoothing the girl's red hair "I'm very proud of you"

"Thank you mommy…I love you too" the two redheads hugged affectionately

"Good…now let's get inside and see how Anya is taking the news"

"Oh God…poor Joan" she said with her eyes wide

"Poor Xander" Willow corrected

"Oh, yeah…" they nodded and walked inside the house

The gang was gathering in the living room. A sobbing Anya was sitting on an armchair being comforted by her husband and daughter

"I can't believe it" she said between sobs "it's not fair"

"There, there mom" Joan said caressing her mother's hair "don't be like that…it's not the end of world"

"Yeah, honey" Xander tried coax his wife "I think you're overreacting a little bit"

"I'm not overreacting" she shouted and blew her nose "I didn't raise a daughter so she would end up like…like…like them" she motioned to Buffy and Faith before bursting into tears again

"Hey" Buffy retorted indignantly

"Okay mom…when you say end up 'like them', do you mean gay?" Joan asked placing her hands on her hips "cause if that's the problem, well…I'm already a lesbian" she declared shrugging nonchalantly making Xander's eyes almost pop out of their sockets and Anya's head jerk up "I'm kidding" she laughed and caused a fit of giggles on the gang "but you should see the look on you face dad…it was priceless" she smirked cynically at her parents who were looking suspiciously at her "no seriously…I'll probably fall for a very handsome charming 500 year-old vampire..." she turned to look at Buffy lifting her eyebrows mockingly at the blonde "like Angel or Spike"

"I still have my slayer strength, right?" Buffy asked to Ariel who was having a hard time trying to stifle a laugh; the blonde witch simply nodded at her

"Good…cause I'm gonna kick this little brat" she tried to get up only to be held by Faith

"Anya, being a slayer is not that bad" the brunette said while restraining her girlfriend

"oh, no?" the ex demon stood up and started pacing "it means that she's gonna be stuck here in Sunnydale for the rest of her life…which by the way can be very short" she glared at her daughter "I had plans for you…you're supposed to marry a millionaire so you could support me when I was old"

"It's not that hopeless, you know" Joan said making Xander roll his eyes in exasperation "no, seriously dad…I can still marry a rich guy, and if I don't…you still have Alex Jr." she said nodding in the boy's direction

"Hey" he shouted offended

"Shut up, dork" she barked at him and turned back to her mother "kid is a genius…he's 14 and already works for Willow, right Red mom?" she said and looked at the witch with pleading eyes

"Yeah…don't worry Anya" she waved a hand dismissingly "Jr. is a very solid investment"

"Great…now I'll never have peace again" the boy whined shaking his head and cause another round of giggles, suddenly Willow sobered up furrowing her brows as if sensing something

"What?" Buffy asked noticing her friend stiffen a little

"Do you feel that?" she asked with a smile forming on her lips

"Feel what?" everybody was looking at redhead

"Sometimes I feel this…warmth, this…"

"Lovingness???" Lara asked sheepishly

"Yeah…do you feel it too?" she questioned and the teenager nodded

"Yes…I feel protected and safe" she sighed peacefully "it's like someone is watching over me"

"Maybe they are" Ariel declared locking eyes with a white robed figure no one else could see standing at the other side of the room

30 years later

Willow was walking through a field covered with beautiful colored flowers; the sun was shining brightly and the grass was so green that it couldn't be real. She paused and checked her surrounds, she was alone; she felt light and strong; she looked at her body, and saw that she looked exactly like the young woman she had been 50 years ago

"What the…" she checked her hands, they weren't wrinkled…she was young again "is this a dream?" she asked aloud feeling that her voice was strong again

"No, it's not a dream" she heard a soft voice speak behind her; she spun fast and had the most beautiful vision of her life

"Tara???" she whispered tearfully

"hi sweetie" the blonde was standing in front of her looking as young and pretty as Willow remembered

"Oh my God…if this is a dream, please don't let me wake up" she pled with tears running down her cheeks "cause this is the best dream I've ever had"

"This is not a dream" Tara moved forward, she was wearing a loose white dress, she was no longer a Keeper "I came to get you"

"Get me?" Willow asked confused and the blonde nodded

"It's time for us to be together again" she said and held the redhead's hands "our souls need to be reunited again"

"Does that mean that I am… did I…have I died?" she asked agitatedly pacing franticly when Tara nodded affirmatively "I can't…I can't go now…what about the children?"

"What children?" the blonde asked calmly

"Our children" she answered nervously

"Willow" Tara whispered softly and caressed her soul mate's face "our children have children who have children" she smiled sweetly at the redhead "they don't need you anymore…it's time for you to rest and for us to be with one another again" she ran a hand through the red locks "we both have completed our mission and now we have nothing but each other…for eternity"

"You and me together…forever?" she asked hopefully

"yes, together…forever" she said and a big grin broke in both women's features "that's our Destiny" Tara said and they kissed with such love that they didn't even flinch when they were surrounded by this bright white light that engulfed them and disappeared into space and time entering a new dimension where two broken souls were finally whole again.

The End

**Okay...that's it...or not ;-) **

Thanks for all the feedback and support you guys provided throughout both stories…I really appreciate that

I'm already working on the third part of the trilogy (so star wars!!!) but I'm afraid this will not be a Willow/Tara paring once it will be placed during the time Tara was in England (before 'Forever you') it will be a Faith/Tara paring so I'll understand if you guys desert me sniff but I hope it doesn't happen cause I love you all.

Thank you,

Warrior Angel


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